Why thinking hard makes you tired
"Their studies, reported in Current Biology on August 11, show that when intense cognitive work is prolonged for several hours, it causes potentially toxic byproducts to build up in the part of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex. This in turn alters your control over decisions, so you shift toward low-cost actions requiring no effort or waiting as cognitive fatigue sets in, the researchers explain.
To look for evidence of this, they used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to monitor brain chemistry over the course of a workday. They looked at two groups of people: those who needed to think hard and those who had relatively easier cognitive tasks.
They saw signs of fatigue, including reduced pupil dilation, only in the group doing hard work. Critically, they also had higher levels of glutamate in synapses of the brain's prefrontal cortex.
"I would employ good old recipes: rest and sleep! There is good evidence that glutamate is eliminated from synapses during sleep.""
Read the complete article available at Science Daily!
Reflection:
What are your thoughts on this article?
*I think this explains why I feel so drained after studying for long hours*
#CognitiveFatigue #Brain #Sleep #Research
@comfortableNight4463 I read that the brain takes a break of whatever we're doing for 30 minutes intermittently every day!
@calmDew1576 That is so interesting. Thanks for sharing!