Hello, reader! Ever pondered if there’s a magic trick to help kids manage school stress better? Well, it might be easier than you think. Let’s dig into some recent interesting discoveries in the realm of science.
We’ve all heard it: “Exercise to beat stress!” But does this golden nugget of advice work for kids too? Researchers at the University of Basel decided to find out. Led by Dr. Manuel Hanke and Dr. Sebastian Ludyga, the team explored how physical activity affects children’s stress levels, and their results were quite groundbreaking.
Picture this: 110 kids, aged 10 to 13, wearing sensors to track their movements for a week. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, right? These kids were then given both stressful and non-stressful tasks in a lab setting. The twist? The researchers measured cortisol, the stress hormone, in their saliva to see how they reacted.
The big reveal: Kids who were active for more than an hour each day, as recommended by the World Health Organization, produced less cortisol during stress tasks compared to their less active peers. In simple terms, active kids seemed to handle stress better. Amazing, isn’t it?
One idea is that when kids regularly engage in activities like running or swimming, their brains associate the rise in cortisol (from exercise) with positive feelings. So, when they encounter stressful situations like exams, their cortisol levels don’t spike as much. It’s like having an internal stress shield!
Besides checking cortisol levels, the researchers also recorded brainwaves to see if physical activity affects how stress impacts their thinking. Ever experienced a mental block during a test? They’re investigating if exercise can be a defense against that too.
Active kids might have a secret weapon against school stress. So, next time your child feels swamped with homework, perhaps a quick game of catch or a bike ride is just what they need!