Brushing Your Teeth on Autopilot: The Power of Muscle Memory

When was the last time you gave a mundane task like brushing your teeth a second thought? Or really paid attention and effort to sitting down or getting up? We perform several tasks each day, like eating, sitting, and walking, without giving them much deliberate attention, thanks to our muscle memory. Starting in our developmental stages as infants, our bodies learn and retain movements through repeated practice. When we learn new movements through repetition, our brains create these special pathways that help us remember how to perform those movements. It is not a memory stored in the muscles themselves, but rather a neural pathway formed in the brain that enables the body to perform a specific movement efficiently and automatically.

The myelin sheath is a fatty substance that surrounds and insulates nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord. It plays an important role in the development of muscle memory by increasing the speed and efficiency of neural communication. The repeated practice of a movement or activity leads to the development of stronger neural connections in the brain, which in turn leads to the growth of myelin around those connections. The thicker the myelin sheath, the faster and more accurately the message can be transmitted along the neural pathway, allowing the body to perform the movement more efficiently and with less conscious effort.

When we first learned how to brush our teeth, we had to consciously think about each step of the process, like applying toothpaste to the brush, moving the brush around our mouth, spitting out the foam, and so on. But over time, our muscles learned how to perform these movements on their own, without us having to think about it. That’s why we can brush our teeth while thinking about other things or even while still half-asleep in the morning.

Now, consider a circumstance that would require you to perform this task with your non-dominant hand. In fact, try brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand right now. How did it go? If you aren’t ambidextrous, then the task probably felt a bit awkward. When we think of movement practice with respect to building muscle memory, it isn’t restricted to honing existing skills, but also discovering and developing new muscle memory (like learning chaturanga) or even rebuilding lost muscle memory (like rediscovering malasana). One of the hallmarks of yoga and Pilates is the emphasis on the mind-body connection. An article in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies on the effects of yoga on cognitive function says,

Through repetition of postures, new movements, or gradual increases in the difficulty of exercises, the body is challenged to adapt and refine its neural pathways, leading to improved muscle memory. Proper technique and form are crucial for building muscle memory. By focusing on proper alignment and engaging the correct muscles, we ensure that

Perhaps the next time you brush your teeth, you might be reminded of what you read here and take a moment to consciously observe what you are doing. You’ll perhaps discover a new technique to polish your whites or decide to go ambidextrous and save time. It starts here and extends to other areas of your life, ergo intentional practice, so stay curious, appreciate your body and have fun learning about it.