Sometimes the biggest solutions to the most complex problems are right under our noses — or more precisely, under our running shoes. As someone who has researched and worked in the field of attention for years, I meet frustrated parents every day, students struggling to focus and adults who feel their brains are like a browser with 50 tabs open at once. The question that keeps coming up is always the same: What else can be done besides medication?
A new and wide-ranging meta-analysis review published recently in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders drops what could fairly be called a bombshell on our understanding of brain function. Researchers combined data from 23 studies involving 1,118 children and adolescents with attention-deficit disorder. The findings allow for a high degree of scientific certainty: Physical activity has a clear and significant positive effect on attention and concentration. The conclusion is unequivocal. Sport is not just about muscles or cardiovascular endurance. It is a critical tool for improving sustained attention, especially for those living with attention-deficit disorder.
The study effectively determines that physical activity is the most effective way to strengthen sustained attention without side effects. It allows people with attention difficulties not just to “get through” a school or workday, but to truly maximize their cognitive potential. To understand why exercise is so critical, it helps to take a brief look inside the brain. Attention-deficit disorder is characterized, among other things, by reduced availability of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine in regions responsible for executive function and focus. Medications are designed to raise these levels. The new research shows that physical activity produces a similar effect — naturally.
Once we start moving, the brain becomes a well-oiled laboratory. Blood flow improves and a remarkable protein called BDNF is released. It acts like fertilizer for the brain, helping nerve cells communicate and activating the same mechanisms targeted by drug-based treatments. In this sense, sport is not merely a hobby. It is a complement to, and in some cases a partial substitute for, neural mechanisms that need strengthening.
The cognitive game changer
One of the most intriguing findings is that not all types of physical activity affect attention to the same degree. While classic aerobic exercise such as running or cycling is excellent for reducing stress and improving mood, the most significant gains in attention come from cognitively complex activity.
Think ball sports like basketball or soccer, tennis, martial arts or dance. These activities require planning, rapid response, impulse control and intensive use of working memory. This is the real game changer. The combination of physical exertion and mental challenge is what builds the “muscle” of attention and trains the brain to stay focused over time.
The new prescription: How much, when and how?
So how does this science translate into everyday routines at home or at work? Consider this a new “attention prescription”:
1. Timing is everything: Want to succeed on an exam or finish a complex report? Do 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity before the task. Research shows the effect of exercise on concentration peaks in the two hours following activity.
2. Consistency over intensity: You do not need to run a marathon. To create long-term neurological change in brain connectivity, three to four sessions a week of moderate activity that raises the heart rate are enough.
3. Enjoyment drives dopamine: Especially for children, sport must be something they want to do. When the activity is enjoyable, dopamine levels rise further and the brain becomes a sponge for learning and focus.
The bottom line: We live in an era that prizes quick fixes, but this research is a reminder that the body and the brain are one integrated system. The findings are a wake-up call. Physical activity is not a leisure-time “bonus.” It is an integral part of any treatment protocol for attention and concentration.
The next time your brain feels stuck, do not force yourself to sit through another hour in front of a screen. Get up, move your body and let biology do the rest.
The author is a leading expert in Israel in the field of attention, a researcher and author, a lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the founder of a diagnostic and treatment institute.