What Happens When We Sleep?!?

According to Brain Rules, “Sleep occupies a walloping one-third of our time on the planet, it is incredible to contemplate that we still don’t know why we need to sleep.” (Chapter 7 on Sleep).  Have you ever wondered what happens in your brain while 

you’re sleeping?

Brain Rules tells us, that when we are asleep, are brains are hard at work!

What?! Hmmm… wonder if that means we can actually learn and grow smarter while we’re sleeping, and the only real resting period for the brain is during non-REM sleep. 

(REM stands for Rapid Eye Motion)

So what are our brains DOING during all that electrical neuron storm? Apparently processing our day and life lessons!  I don’t know about you, but I love the idea that my brain is working and learning and processing lessons while I am sleeping! 

Here’s and analogy:  It’s like our body is like an iPod, and our beds are like our charging docks.  You get that right away, right? We know we have to recharge our devices after long periods of use.  Same thing with our bodies, and the bed-charging dock is also our sync-and-download period! 

(To read more on about what happens to your brain while asleep, read chapter 7 of Brain Rules).

An Inconvenient Truth About Fast Food!

I have noticed the food industry has made it easier and easier for us to get fat!  We can drive up to a window and order the cheese burger and side of fries and soda, or we can call and have a pizza delivered to our door, and now some places you can order online!  Once you have consumed those carbs, have you noticed how long it takes to work it off?
Do you ever feel good after you’ve eaten all the junk?  I know it tastes great while I’m eating it, but after my body is telling me what a mistake I made!  So, in the long run, is fast food really convenient?
Surprisingly, our bodies know whats good for us, and yes the fries, pizza, and burgers might seem delicious while we’re eating them. If we really knew what was happening inside our bodies when we consumed that stuff though, I have a felling we would hesitate the next time we get Super Size Grease Burger with the side of Mega Fat Fries and Jumbo Carb Soda.

Facebook--What's that?

What’s Facebook?: Facebook is an example of a social status site. Most people (if not everyone) has heard about it, (and if you haven’t then thats okay, that’s why I’m writing this).  This site allows you to create a profile (very simple).  Then, you can connect with, friends, family and others.  This lets you know what your friends and family members are up to, AND it also keeps your family and friends know what YOU are up to!

Can you use Facebook for business?: Of course! If you don’t want t use Facebook for personal use (or if you ALSO want to use it for business) you can create a WHOLE SEPARATE ACCOUNT!  You can put your business name, logo and create was Facebook calls a “Page” (usually your customers or clients) and “Like” the “Page”.  This means, that if they press the “Like” button, they will receive notices on their Facebook profile so they know what your business is up too, or products that you will be selling, or promotions you want to “Post” about.

What’s a “Post”?: On Facebook, a “Post” is a brief sentience, (or extremely tiny paragraph) on what you are up to, what you did, what you are going to do, or ANYTHING else that happens to pop into your mind (I like to post quotes that I like on my profile).  If you have a business “Page” then you can “Post” about what your business is doing.…OH and I almost forgot!!!

Have you been on a vacation recently? Where you out with friends of family? Did you happen to bring a camera?……Because if you did, then you can post your photos or videos on Facebook!…And if you didn’t, then I’m sure one of your friends did, so go check out their profile and comment on their pictures (or just look at them)

It's a MYTH!!

“I did my math homework, while IM-ing two friends, and texting, while also trying to finish an essay,” Most of us do this at some point.  We think that we can multitask………the question is, can we?You can walk and talk at the same time, and I am assuming you are breathing while reading this, correct? Isn’t that multitasking? Yes, it is.  What I’m talking about though is, the ability to pay full attention to two mental tasks at the same time.  Such as, homework, and texting.  Here’s an analogy:

Pretend you’re pedaling on a bicycle, enjoying the beautiful day of fresh air and sunshine. Are you seeing that picture? Great! Now pretend a pesky squirrel stops in it’s tracks in surprise, causing you to slam on the brakes.  And imagine this happens when powering up a hill. What happens to your momentum? Getting started is a lot harder then keeping it going, right?

You suddenly have to slam on the breaks, right?  That is what our brain does when we are “multitasking.”  When you get a text message while in the middle of your math homework, your brain has to “slam on it’s brakes” thus causing your flow of thought to break, and your concentration to shatter!

So, before reading this did you think you could multitask? Has your perspective changed any?  Well, if you’re not convinced, reconsider, because studies show that multitasking is a myth when it come to FOUCUS!

* For more information, read pages 84-85 of Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina.