Wrong life habits are also a big cause of brain fatigue. So getting in the habit of not letting fatigue accumulate is more important than anything else. In this chapter, let’s take a look at some of the wrong lifestyle habits that contribute to brain fatigue.
1
All of a sudden movement
As the centennial approaches, people are becoming more concerned about their health than ever before. Probably because of this, more people are starting to exercise, but we often see people lose their health because they suddenly start exercising.
Some people do not exercise at ordinary times, but one day suddenly jog for too long, causing plantar fasciitis and unable to walk properly.
There are also plenty of people who break their muscles and break their bones by doing too much bench press at the gym.
Someone even ran a marathon and their heart stopped and they died.
If you do something like this all of a sudden that you don’t normally train for, you’re going to have a problem.
From a brain science point of view, this is because the autonomic nerve is not regulated properly. When sympathetic nerves are overworked, the brain needs a lot of energy, which increases oxygen consumption. With the rapid increase of reactive oxygen species, cell oxidation will become more serious. At this point, the mitochondria and microvessels inside the cell are damaged, which, of course, seriously affects health.
2
Long hours
Even simple tasks can accumulate fatigue if they are repeated over a long period of time. The more fatigue accumulates, the more energy will be consumed, and oxygen demand and reactive oxygen species will also increase.
When a moderate break like this is needed, our body automatically sends signals that we must pay attention to and obey. Unfortunately, it is not easy to detect the fatigue signals sent by the brain. Therefore, be sure to take regular breaks when working long hours.
Taking a break before you feel tired is the most efficient way to take a break.
3
The same thing over and over again
There is a law called the law of diminishing marginal utility. This rule means that no matter how much fun something is, if you do it again and again, it will be half as fun and boring. If you keep using the same circuit, the threshold for information transmission (the minimum amount of stimulation needed to generate excitement) goes up. In other words, the brain’s nerve function will decline and become unable to communicate information with the same amount of stimulation. And that’s the first sign of brain fatigue.
At this point, it’s more efficient to switch to something else. If you find it boring after an hour of math, it would be more appropriate to study English instead. By switching to other brain circuits, fatigue is reduced.
4
Maintain the same posture
The longer you hold the same position, the easier it will be for your body to accumulate fatigue.
An example is economy class syndrome. If you sit in a narrow, uncomfortable chair in an airplane for too long, your legs will become swollen and numb, and in severe cases, you may die from blood clotting.
Therefore, if you feel bored and tired, you should change your posture and stretch your body. When you curl up, your lungs close, leading to a lack of oxygen and the release of the aggressive norepinephrine.
Conversely, if we relax our body or take a brisk walk, our lungs will open up completely and secrete serotonin, allowing us to have a good rest.
This light stretching and exercise is also an important part of building self-discipline.
If you look at the boxers, during the fight, the boxers draw their whole bodies together to avoid being hit by their opponents’ fists. But at the end of a round, the players straighten their backs and relax as much as they can. They are instinctively taking the position of rest. When this happens, the lungs open up and the brain releases serotonin, thereby slowing fatigue.
5
Focus your attention on one thing
What people who excel in all fields have in common is a higher level of attention than the average person. Paying attention maximizes the brain’s ability to work effectively.
But this focus activates the sympathetic nerve and consumes a lot of energy. And focusing on one thing in particular, like anaerobic exercise, is a glycolytic system activity, and fatigue certainly increases.
The more you focus, the more often you need to rest your brain. It’s as if the intense concentration of a fire that ignites paper is unsustainable.
6
Force yourself to do things you hate
At work, the sympathetic nerves take over and the brain releases norepinephrine. Trying to do something you hate produces more norepinephrine. At this point, the autonomic nerves lose their balance, which, of course, requires more energy to restore and aggravates brain fatigue.
The problem is that we have to do things that we hate, and that’s the reality we live in.
At such times, we need to think differently about why we do it and find out the value of it. No matter how small, it can be helpful or valuable. Even doing the same thing can reduce brain fatigue by simply thinking differently and convincing yourself.
7
Get used to working late
Since primitive times, when the sun rose, people would go to work, and when the sun went down, people would rest. In fact, our parasympathetic nervous system dominates at night, and our bodies reduce the production of all the active hormones. In other words, the body will become less functional. If you do something sympathetic at this time, your efficiency will certainly decrease and your brain fatigue will increase.
So try to sleep between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. The first 90 minutes after falling asleep during this period is also known as “obligatory sleep” because it is the time when we get the deepest sleep possible. It also has the best effect on relieving fatigue.
8
The habit of being caught up in time
Of all the ways to read a book, the one that will get the most out of it compared to the amount of time you spend on it is to cram at the eleventh hour. This is because we tighten our minds and increase productivity.
But the time-chasing work habit is also one of the worst habits that puts pernicious stress on our brains.
If you think about it,
The deadline is coming and the work is not going well.
Business hours are coming to an end, but banks say there is no way to avoid bankruptcy.
At this point, the blood flow becomes so rapid that the heart seems to explode. If the sympathetic nerves are overexcited like this, the brain will use up so much energy that it could explode with a slight mistake.
We know how much last-minute cramming can stress our bodies and minds, only to regret and repeat the same actions over and over again.
For the sake of brain health, we should try our best to avoid getting into the habit of time chasing after work.
9
Irregular living habits
It is well known that a regular lifestyle is good for your health. But modern people will drink until midnight, and excessive drinking, sleep time is not fixed, meal time is always irregular. Living a life with an irregular biorhythm like this is stressful for the body. Even if you work, you won’t be very productive. And it takes a lot of energy to maintain homeostasis.
Most of us drink coffee, energy drinks or smoke when we are young. But this will only have a temporary effect, and will only aggravate fatigue, bringing the opposite effect.
At such times, we can put off tasks that require a lot of brain power and do simple things first. It’s better to be physically active than sitting at a desk. By doing so, we can regain the balance between static and dynamic, thus helping to eliminate fatigue.
10
An unbridled habit of life
Many office workers hit the gym after a grueling workday. They say managing body shape and physical strength and sweating removes the pressure that builds up in the company.
But working out too much in a sweat can actually exacerbate fatigue. The brain secretes pleasure substances during exercise, which hide fatigue. In other words, we just feel that fatigue has gone away, but it hasn’t decreased at all.
The same goes for drinking with friends. The same goes for self-development lectures or performances.
Whatever it is, do it in moderation. If you overdo it, your body will know first. We should live a moderately balanced life and not ignore the warning signals from the body.
11
Long-term exposure to ultraviolet light
Sportsmen must wear sunglasses when they exercise outdoors. This is to reduce fatigue caused by ultraviolet light. Long wavelengths of ULTRAVIOLET light, when deep in the body, produce a lot of reactive oxygen species, which can make us tired easily. In addition, the collagen that makes up the dermis is destroyed, leading to wrinkles.
While many people believe that getting a tan is a sign of good health, it only destroys skin cells. Therefore, if you are exposed to ultraviolet radiation for a long time, you should wear sunscreen, sunglasses, etc., to minimize the damage.
But there’s no need to be afraid of ultraviolet light. Instead of being in the sun, you won’t be able to synthesize the happiness hormone serotonin. A 20-30 minute walk in bright sunlight restores the tired brain, produces vitamin D, prevents osteoporosis, and has long been proven to be beneficial for health.
12
Wrong leisure life
Many people hit the golf course early on Saturday morning after a long week at work. They say that just imagining themselves walking the open course and playing golf can take the stress out of a whole week.
But it also depends on how the golf is played.
If you hit a couple of long putts in a row on the tee, then go through the grass looking for the ball, hit the ball in the bunker and then drop into the bunker, and then try to put on the green without catching a short putt, you are not just trying to get out of fatigue, you are just building up fatigue.
It would be a bad day to bet again. Sometimes, co-workers even turn against each other. Some even had a heart attack.
We should remember the original meaning of leisure life and consider it as a kind of rest. In the golfing example above, doing leisure activities in order to compete with each other will only lead to brain fatigue.
13
Focus on something for pleasure
Let’s think about the opposite.
Suppose we hit a good ball, hit a hole in one, and made a bet, so we won the money. If so, we won’t feel tired after 36 holes around the course.
Likewise, what if the store we’ve been dreaming of for a long time opens, and people flood in? Even if we work all night, we won’t feel sleepy or tired. I’m sure you’ve all had similar experiences.
As mentioned earlier, fatigue is not the same as feeling tired. This is simply a case of feeling happy without feeling fatigued, and the brain may actually be in a fairly tired state. If this situation continues, we will fall to the ground by KO and possibly die from overwork, which is really dangerous.
In fact, marathoners are said to fall into a ‘Runner’s High’ state at some point. The runners would have felt too tired to run any further. But at some point, they experience a burst of endorphins, cannabinoids and other hormones, and feel a surge of happiness instead of fatigue. The sensation is said to be similar to the euphoria experienced with heroin and morphine, with legs and arms that felt heavy lightened and as if new powers were surging up.
Often, however, people suffer from this condition for too long. We call this condition adrenal burn out. If we deplete the hormones that protect us in the face of stress, our bodies will no longer be able to withstand it.
Humans are the only creatures that can die from overwork. The more satisfying it is, the more we must be temperate.
14
And we’re entering a culture of destruction
Is there a country on earth with a culture as developed for evening entertainment as South Korea?
In foreign countries, few pubs stay open late except for sightseeing. Perhaps because of their ethnic affinity for binge drinking, many South Koreans find an after-work drink with their colleagues one of the great pleasures of life. But let’s not forget that a culture of drinking bombe (a mixture of two or more drinks) to the point of interfering with work the next day, and then drinking the second and third stall all the way through, is a bomb in our head.
15
Coffee in the evening
It is said that in 2016, South Korean adults (over 20 years old) consumed 377 cups of coffee per person a year, ranking first in the world. This is circumstantial evidence that the South Korean brain is in a state of fatigue. It’s best to avoid drinking coffee in the evening, although moderate intake of coffee can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and help exercise self-discipline.
We’re always around people who proudly say they can sleep well over coffee at night. But that’s not something to be proud of. Instead, it’s evidence of a brain problem. Coffee is a stimulant. If you drink coffee, you will have a residual effect for 5 to 6 hours. Of course, if you can’t sleep, you will have a healthy brain.
If you drink coffee but still want to sleep, it is evidence that the brain is suffering from chronic sleep deprivation and is in a state of fatigue.
These are some of the most typical bad habits that can lead to brain fatigue. In order to reduce brain fatigue, we should try to reduce these habits.
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