Stimulating the Vestibular modality improves arousal.
I certainly prefer and advocate a good PE program as an academic tool.
Actually the students in the front row of my on-campus evening class have found that when they are falling asleep, if they simply roll their heads around, they can buy a least three or four minutes of consciousness.
It does work, but it makes the front row appear more like an assembly line.
Vestibular: The vestibular mechanism has some excellent connections with the reticular activation system which can increase arousal.
In many classrooms for disabled preschool children, you may find many devices, all selected to stimulate the sense of balance and movement.
These include swings suspended from the ceilings, tops on which the children can be spun, giant balls upon which they can be rolled, mats on which they can do summersaults, rails on which they can walk etc.