The good news is that it’s completely possible to improve reaction times. Poor health and lifestyle choices can exacerbate the problem as well. Your brain naturally gets slower as you age due to impairment and degeneration. Unfortunately, your ability to react quickly can wane over time. They’re always there working behind the scenes to avoid harm whether you’re paying attention to your surroundings or not. Reflexes aren’t affected too much by lifestyle choices or mental prowess. Meanwhile, reaction time deals with voluntary movements that you have to consciously make. Reflexes are involuntary movements to stimuli. While reflexes and reaction times both work to keep you safe, there is one key difference.
Even being exposed to blinding light relies on fast reaction times to prevent any long-term damage to your vision!ĭon’t mistake reaction time with reflexes. When you trip, your brain must respond quickly to the visual stimulation so that it can tell your hands to catch yourself. When a car suddenly pulls out in front of you, quick reaction time can mean the difference between staying safe and getting into an accident. Think about all of the activities you do that rely on quick reaction times to perform successfully. It keeps you safe and ensures that your body is primed to move whenever it needs to. Why Improving It Is So ImportantĪs we mentioned earlier, your reaction time is incredibly important for your everyday life. It sounds simple enough, but it’s a complex process that happens in only fractions of a second. The final result is a physical response to the stimulus. Then, the brain sends those signals to the central and peripheral nervous systems so that they can travel to the parts of the body that need to move. Those sensory receptors then send out electrical impulses to your brain so that it can decide how you need to respond. Whatever the case may be, your senses are stimulated immediately. It could be bright light hitting or your eyes or someone tapping you on the shoulder.
This external stimulus doesn’t have to be anything major. Whenever your body experiences a stimulus, electrical signals are sent to the brain to be processed. Every action you take first has to go through your brain before your body can ever start moving. Your brain and nervous system govern your entire body.
Essentially, reaction time is how fast you respond to external stimuli. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or someone who sits at an office all day, reaction time plays a crucial role in every single thing that you do. While most people think they know what it is, their definition of it is technically incorrect. Reaction time is one of the most misunderstood elements of human performance. Give them a try and you’ll be happy with the results! Understanding Reaction Time In this post, we cover all the best ways you can increase your reaction time. This could be in athletics or in your daily life. There are so many situations where being able to act just a little bit quicker can make all the difference. Improving your reaction time is one of the best investments you can make in your physical fitness and functionality.