Tag Archives: tired

Naps don’t work for everyone.

12 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

nap-refreshed-wp

So how do you know if they’ll work for YOU? Take one for 20 minutes, and see how you feel when you wake up. UC Riverside psychology professor Dr. Sara Mednick says if you wake refreshed, you’re one of the 45% of adults who’ll enjoy clearer, more creative thinking, and sharper motor skills after napping. But if you wake up groggy, naps just aren’t your thing and they NEVER will be! Dr. Mednick says the ability to wake up energized can’t be learned. It’s in your DNA. And you’re either wired to benefit from naps or you’re not! And if you’re a habitual napper who takes at least a couple naps a week, you can’t STOP! Because if you decrease the amount of sleep you’re getting – including those naps – your thinking and motor skill function will go down the tubes. It’s a huge productivity killer.

Follow me on Facebook

Socializing is exhausting – for our brain!

28 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

socializing-is-exhausting-wp

Even the most outgoing, extroverted person needs some alone time. Because socializing is exhausting – for our brain. That’s the conclusion of new research from the University of Helsinki. They found that the more social people were, the more they reported being in a positive mood and feeling lower levels of fatigue. But those effects wore off at the 3-hour mark. After that, people who were still interacting with a group saw their mood drop and their fatigue increase. And that was true for social butterflies AND introverts. That’s because socializing is really taxing on the brain. Conversations, processing language, activating your memory and reading body language use up a lot of mental energy. And for anyone, talking to a bunch of people for a long time – specifically 3-hours – is draining. So maybe we should all make sure our parties are only 3-hours long.

Follow me on Facebook

Are you feeling sluggish and dehydrated? Here’s what you can do!

19 Friday Jul 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

sluggish-watermelon-wp

If you’re feeling sluggish and dehydrated, try these top “recovery” foods to help get your energy back. They come from registered dietician Deborah Tagliareni:

First: Eat watermelon. It’s got “water” right in the name. Plus, it’s full of lycopene, an antioxidant also found in tomatoes. But watermelon has 4 times as much lycopene as tomatoes. So it’s a powerhouse when it comes to preventing and repairing free-radical damage.

Also, eat some cucumbers. Next, to lettuce, they have the highest water content of ANY vegetables! Plus, cucumbers have key B vitamins that support your metabolism by converting carbohydrates into energy.

Follow me on Facebook

We yawn less in hot weather.

06 Thursday Jun 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

yawn-less-hot-weather-wp

That’s because yawning helps cool the brain, so it can function at maximum capacity and help us stay alert. But when it’s hot out, we don’t get the brain-cooling benefit from inhaling boiling hot air. In fact, researchers found people yawn most when it’s around 68 degrees. And yes, being sleepy and stressed makes us yawn too because both of those physical states cause the brain to overheat.

Follow me on Facebook

Here’s how to tell if you’re sleep-deprived in 5 seconds:

10 Wednesday Apr 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

sleep-deprived-wp

Look around. Does it seem like everyone’s having a bad day, blowing you off, or uninterested in you? Then you’re probably under-slept.

UC Berkeley scientists had healthy people react to facial expressions after 24-hours without sleep. And they had trouble telling the difference between a smile, a smirk or a scowl. But after a restful night, the same people had no trouble telling the difference.

Bottom line: If everyone else seems crabbier, YOU need more sleep.

Follow me on Facebook

Are you feeling “sweepy?”

26 Tuesday Mar 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

sweepy-wp

That’s when you’re sleepy and weepy, and get overly emotional. And there’s a reason for it. Because when we’re sleep-deprived, activity increases in the brain area that produces emotion. Plus, when we’re tired, our ability to control our emotions is weaker.

So if you cry at commercials when you’re tired – or burst into tears when someone gives you side-eye, that’s why. You’re sweepy.

Follow me on Facebook

If you feel groggy halfway through the day, don’t guzzle more coffee.

30 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

groggy-at-work-wp

Pop vitamin D instead. According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, low levels of “D” are linked to daytime sleepiness. Here’s why: Vitamin D helps keep bones and muscles healthy – so too little can cause weak muscles, and sore joints that could keep you up at night. Also, low vitamin D levels are linked to inflammation – which directly causes sleepiness. So start popping up to a‑thousand International Units of vitamin D daily. Especially if you suffer from milk allergies, or are a vegetarian or vegan, and are getting less “D” than average.

Follow me on Facebook

To feel more energized in the morning:

25 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

earplugs-bed-sleep-wp

Go to bed wearing earplugs! A joint study between British and Swedish researchers found people who feel foggy and slowed up in the morning probably aren’t producing enough cortisol, a natural brain-energizer that wakes us up, and heightens our alertness. But wearing earplugs to bed blocks low levels of overnight noise – like nearby traffic, or barking dogs. And research shows that when the quality of our sleep improves, our brain churns out more cortisol in the morning – giving us more focus and energy.

Follow me on Facebook

If you’re tired you could eat as much as if you were high!

01 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

sleep-bong-wp-1.01.19

When it comes to your brain, a lack of sleep is tantamount to smoking a bong! It ignites brain receptors called endocannabinoids – as in cannabis. And those receptors give us the munchies! So a lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to cravings for sugary, high-fat foods – and makes eating them more pleasurable than normal. So make sure you get a good night’s sleep if you don’t want to pig out like a pot-head.

Follow me on Facebook

Why are you tired?

14 Friday Sep 2018

Posted by in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

hunched-cellphone-wp

Blame your smartphone. Not because the blue light it emits is keeping you awake… it’s because it makes you breathe less deeply! Scientists found that people who used their phones for more than 4 hours a day had lung function that was over 30% lower than those who used their phones less. And just so you know, the average teenager is on their phone 6 hours a day, so 4 hours isn’t a crazy amount!
So why would phone use lead to poor lung function? Because we hunch our shoulders and bend our necks when using our phones. So our airway is restricted and we’re not fully expanding our lungs. As a result, we breathe more shallowly.

Follow me on Facebook