My Brain
My brain needs help...
Looking after your brain is an important job. If your brain is tired and hungry or even thirsty it will work slowly and find it hard to do its job. Do you know how you can make sure brain is doing the best that it can do????
Brain-compatible diet tips Based on work by Eric Jensen
Sleep Stage 1, a light sleep: •Muscles relax •Brain waves are irregular and rapid (called “Theta” waves) •Body is easily awakened •Occurs soon after lying down and just before getting up •Good time for free association thinking •We often reflect on the day just passed, or what to do tomorrow •Accounts for 2% - 5% of total sleep time Stage 2, a deeper sleep: •Brain waves become larger •Bursts of electrical activity •Pituitary glands deliver extra growth and repair hormones to bloodstream •Rest and repair time for the brain and the rest of the body •Accounts for 45% - 55% of total sleep time Stages 3 and 4, deep sleep •Brain waves become slow (called “delta waves”) •Accounts for 3% - 8% of total sleep time Exercise In order to operate at an optimum level, brain cells require fuel – glucose – and oxygen to help burn the fuel. Although accounting for only around 2% of a person’s body weight, the brain uses between 20% and 30% of a person’s energy requirements. Consequently, of each breath of oxygen taken in by the body, 20% to 30% is directed to the brain. Oxygen reaches the brain through the blood stream, and so the more richly oxygenated the blood, the better the supply of oxygen to the brain. The most effective way of oxygenating the blood is through vigorous exercise. Twenty minutes of vigorous exercise, each day is a minimum level for healthy brain function. It is a particularly good idea for young people who are studying or working at a time-consuming task to take a movement break every 20 – 30 minutes. This also helps reduce the effects of the postural stress that occurs when we spend too much time in one position. One way of ensuring that your class gets some exercise each day is to schedule health hustles, sports breaks, walks or fitness programs. Encouraging participation in organised sports or activities like swimming are good ways of helping young people keep a reasonable level of fitness - and the resulting healthy supply of blood to the brain. 30 ways for students to build a brain-compatible learning environment 1) Play music at low volume in the background some of the time while studying 2) Make sure you have plenty of fresh water to sip on while learning 3) Draw learning maps (use lots of colour and few words) 4) Write and read Hope Cycle posters 5) Make tapes of your learning and listen to them occasionally 6) Start with an attitude that you can do it! 7) Make it a special priority to learn what your teachers ask you to learn 8) Ask yourself questions about what you have learnt 9) Teach others what you have learnt 10) Eat brain foods 11) Make sure your hippocampus “gets it!” 12) Celebrate your learning successes with your family and friends 13) Work with other people and try to contribute to the group 14) Take some risks such as sharing your learning with other classmates 15) Write down what you learn each day and check it at least once a week 16) Go for good grades and be proud of your achievements 17) Never use the expression “this is boring” 18) Write your own tests and see how you go 19) Ask teachers for feedback and use it to learn from 20) Learn how your brain learns and use your own special learning talent 21) Get enough of REM sleep 22) If your learning is not enjoyable go for the satisfaction of learning anyway 23) Have lots of stretching and talking breaks 24) Practise, practise, practise 25) Read lots and lots and read different types of books 26) Learn to play a musical instrument because it exercises your brain 27) Play lots of mental games and do crosswords, find-a-words and puzzles 28) Learn another language because it helps your brain build new connections 29) Make a plan for learning and ask your teachers to help you reach your goals 30) Keep away from drugs that hurt your brain. |