Does the brain get tired when playing sports?

From early childhood we all understandhow important and useful it is for a person to play sports. Following this knowledge, each of us played football, ran and engaged in any other physical activity, after which we felt completely exhausted. Such fatigue is especially noticeable in professional athletes preparing to participate in the Olympic Games - some of them literally tumble down after intense training and cannot recover for a long time. Noticing this, the French experts decided to find out: is the physical fatigue of athletes supplemented by mental exhaustion? After all, if we are talking about both types of fatigue, athletes will need more serious methods of recovery.

When playing sports, not only muscles get tired, but also the brain

To find the answer to your question,researchers conducted an experiment involving 37 volunteers involved in power sports. Study participants with an average age of 35 years were divided into two groups. The first group of athletes trained in a strengthened mode, which in addition to several weeks of habitual training included three weeks of 40% physical exercises enhanced. The second group was the control - the athletes trained in the usual way for them.

How does sport affect the human brain?

After conducting surveys and magnetic resonance imaging,which allows to detect even the smallest changes in the human brain, scientists, in addition to physical fatigue, really noticed the mental fatigue of athletes. In the behavioral tests, the participants in the first group showed impulsiveness and almost always chose an immediate reward, although after waiting a bit, they could get something more. This means that they have too much tired of the part of the brain that is responsible for making critical decisions, and they began to make unprofitable choices for themselves.

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Even a computer testified to fatiguetomography, which revealed a delayed operation of the lateral prefrontal cortex. It is this area of ​​the brain, by the way, that is responsible for making complex decisions. After finding out all this, the scientists made an unambiguous conclusion - when playing sports, the human brain really gets tired and requires the same relaxation as the body.

Why does the brain get tired?

Researchers believe that brain fatiguedue to the fact that when playing sports a person also needs to constantly think. In particular, it is vital for him to monitor his movements and sensations - for example, when lifting weights, it is important for an athlete to monitor the state of his muscles. If they hurt and stop holding the mass, sports equipment must be put on the floor on time. Otherwise, the athlete runs the risk of dropping the barbell and breaking his bones. As you can see, the work of the brain in sports is really vital.

Understanding the severity, it is important for the athlete to monitor their feelings

According to researchers, the resultsallow them to choose the right athletes to participate in sports. When choosing, they will have to consider not only physical fitness, but also the state of the brain - letting a tired athlete into the competition can be defeated.

Caution: If you do not play sports, your heart will become like a monkey

We believe that this study is the firstthe turn will allow coaches to develop more effective relaxation strategies for athletes. They need to take into account both the physical and mental state of a person - if all this is taken into account, a haggard athlete will clearly restore strength faster than usual.