Lie down, sit down, take a break: your brain needs rest

Dobro uveljavljene raziskave so pokazale, da lahko nizka raven vsakodnevnega stresa povzroči tako intenzivno obrabo fizioloških sistemov našega telesa, da pride do pospešenega staranja naših celic, pravi Epel, ki je eden od avtorjev knjige “The Telomere Effect”. Epel je dodal: “Intervencije, ki temeljijo na čuječnosti, lahko upočasnijo biološko staranje tako, da prekinejo kronični stres, nam dajo svobodo, da se spoprimemo s težkimi situacijami brez obrabe – in našim telesom omogočimo oddih.“

Research has shown many benefits to brain health, even short ones.

A small study published in the journal Cognition found that those who took short breaks were able to focus better on a task compared to those who did not take a break. Sustained stimulation, the study authors suggested, can cause our brains to become accustomed to an activity, causing us to view it as irrelevant over time.

Metaanaliza iz leta 2022, objavljena v reviji PLOS One, je preučevala, kako lahko “mikro odmori” vplivajo na dobro počutje. Pregled obstoječih raziskav je pokazal, da lahko odmori dolgi le 10 minut povečajo moč in zmanjšajo utrujenost.

Rest periods can be especially helpful during long work days. In 2021, when many Americans were working remotely all the time, Microsoft conducted a study that followed two groups of people: the first had consecutive Zoom meetings, and the second group took 10-minute meditation breaks between meetings. Microsoft used an electroencephalogram (EEG) to monitor the brain activity of 14 study participants.

In the first group “so to, kar vidite, možgani napolnjeni s kortizolom in adrenalinom,” pravi Celeste Headlee, novinarka in avtorica knjige “Do Nothing: How to Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving”. “Utrujeni so, pod stresom, verjetno bolj razdražljivi in verjetno manj sočutni.” Druga skupina? “Jasno lahko vidite, kakšno razliko naredijo [odmori],” pravi. “To so možgani, ki so sproščeni.”

The smartphone trap

There is a big difference between rest and boredom: the former is a necessary thing that invigorates us, while the latter is an unpleasant state in which we want to do something else, he says Andreas Elpidorou, a University of Louisville philosophy professor who studies boredom.

“Dolgčas je tisto, kar doživljamo, ko nas naša naloga ali situacija kognitivno ne angažira dovolj ali ustrezno – nas ne zanima dovolj, nas ne spodbuja, ne pritegne naše pozornosti ali nam da smisla,” pravi.

When we're bored, it's tempting to reach for our phones because they're an easy way to escape that unpleasant feeling.

While there's nothing wrong with it (we all do it), it's not a solution to boredom because it's a passive activity, he says James Danckert, profesor kognitivne nevroznanosti na Univerzi Waterloo v Ontariu v Kanadi in soavtor knjige “Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom.” Danckert je dodal: “Boredom really wants you to be intentional about something that matters.“

Recently, new research has emerged showing the negative effects our cell phones can have on our health. Smartphone addiction (which Danckert says affects 4 to 8 percent of people) is on the rise worldwide. It has been linked to physical health problems such as eye strain and cervical disc degeneration, as well as anxiety and depression. Some recent research also suggests that it can affect the structure of our brain: two studies have found that smartphone addiction is associated with less white matter integrity and less gray matter volume in the brain.

A problem that did not come with the modern era

Our inability to take a break is not a new problem.

V priljubljeni knjigi o čuječnosti iz leta 1994 “Kamor koli greš, tam si” je Jon Kabat-Zinn dejal, da smo vse svoje budne ure zapolnili z zasedenostjo, početjem in samozamotitvijo. “Life these days gives us little time to exist unless we deliberately seize the opportunity,” je zapisal.

V klasiki Henryja Davida Thoreauja iz leta 1854 “Walden” – ki je nastala iz več kot dveh let, ko je živel v koči blizu Walden Ponda v Massachusettsu – je zapisal: “Ni dovolj biti zaposlen. Tudi mravlje so zaposlene. Vprašanje je: ‘S čim smo zaposleni?“.

Most Americans think of rest as something extra or indulgent — a treat that should be earned only after all productive tasks have been completed, he says Amber Childs, a psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. But research shows the opposite: rest is a basic human need.

Include rest in your daily routine

Reset your mind and body with these three tips.

Focus on nothing. Childs says you should be rested, regenerated and energized during your breaks. It can be as simple an activity as relaxing by the fire or sitting in nature. It's important to let your mind wander.

Start gradually. Sitting still for 30 minutes a day is great, but not for everyone. Start small: The next time you're waiting for food delivery or a ride home, do nothing. Instead, simply exist.

When in doubt, lie down. Epel's research looked at the benefits of deep rest, a restorative state that can improve our physical and psychological well-being. You can achieve deep rest through yoga and mindful meditation, but Epel said the best method is to simply lie on the floor.