PUMP UP YOUR BRAIN POWER
Take brain breaks:
The brain accounts for about 2 percent of your weight but requires around 20 percent of your body’s oxygen. No wonder working at a desk all day can be so exhausting. Frequent breaks are an energizing fix; a new study from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge compared computer workers who took time-outs (performing simple stretches) every hour with those who took them every 15 or 30 minutes. Those who worked in 15-minute blocks with "microbreaks" as brief as 30 seconds were the speediest and most accurate, and had significantly fewer body aches. "The longer you work, the longer it takes to recuperate," says study author Fereydoun Aghazadeh, Ph.D. "When you work for shorter periods and take short breaks, you don’t have time to get tired," he says.
Be a single-tasker:
When you focus on one thing instead of several, you usually get more done in less time, according to researchers at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Plus, their study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: ‘Human Perception and performance’ found the percentage of errors doubled when participants tried to do two things at once. "Multitasking uses a large number of regions in the brain simultaneously," says co-author David, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology. "To cope with the challenges, your brain consumes more energy resources like glucose." In addition, doubling up on activities can create a vicious cycle. You do too much, tire out, get even less done, making you more stressed and unfocussed – you get the picture.
Burn a personal soundtrack:
Whether you play the Titanic theme before a big meeting or crank up your collection when you’re stuck in crushing traffic, listening to your favourite music can get you jazzed, says Jon Gordon, author of ‘Become an Energy Addict.’ Go ahead; let the music move you!
Play with your joystick:
Video games are more than just mind candy. Using them may give you the same eyes-wide-open results as a walk around the block. A small study from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City found that when people played Ms. PacMan for 30 minutes, their heart and metabolic rates increasing much as they would with low intensity exercise. Plus, whenever you do something that stirs up excited feelings, your body rewards you by releasing hormones that increase blood sugar levels, which can give you energy, according to research at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Sleep from six to eight hours:
A recent study suggests that key repair work may happen in the brain between the sixth and eighth hours of sleep. The researchers believe that during this time, bursts of electrical activity trigger waves of calcium to enter certain brain cells. "These calcium waves instruct neurons to recognize their connections with each other and generate new ones," says lead researcher Mathew Walker, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School on Boston. The result: You wake up feeling fresher and thinking better.
Gain an Emotional Edge, Connect with those who count:
When you’re busy and feeling beat, it is natural to want to make life a hermit. But nights our with your friends or a miss-it-and-you-cry phone call with your sister can buoy your energy by providing emotional support. In fact, scientists at Griffith University in Nathan, Australia, found they could predict energy levels of nurses who did night shift work by how much social support they got.
Head off a fight:
Those first few minutes at home after work can be a potential powder keg, says Thomas Bradbury, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. In fact, late afternoon and early evening are prime times for arguments. We’re tired, we’re hungry, our patience is shot. And really, there’s nothing much more exhausting than battling over whose turn it is to make dinner! Instead, refuel on your way home, says Gordon. Eating a little snake will up your blood sugar, giving you extra stamina to transition from work to home.
Clear your clutter:
Cleaning out a drawer, purging your purse or organising your desk or closets will give you a little jump-start. While there’s not much science behind the theory, there is a wealth of anecdotal evidence, says Karen Kingston, author of Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. Well, it does sound like it makes sense. Either way, getting organised can't hurt and is certainly worth a shot. Who knows, de-cluttering your life may give you more of a jolt; than a cup of designer latte – and at a fraction of the price!
(Source: Health & Nutrition, October 2004)
