Brain gets toasted

Hi,

Do you occasionally feel that when you're concentrating for quite a while, your brain starts losing it and you take a short break if possible or grab something to eat/drink?

I find it happening to me very often at work after an hour of concentration and I find myself eating fruits / drinking coffee just to loose my mind.

You know what I'm talking about?

Any advices are welcomed

Each brain process requires ATP ( Adenosine-triphosphate) to function.Through the process of glycolysis simple sugars we consume are metabolized and converted to ATP for our cells to use, so it is no surprise your mind would grow weary after heavy thought, and yes, fruits are a great suppliment to resupply your brain cells.

EngIntoHW said:

Hi,
I find it happening to me very often at work after an hour of concentration and I find myself eating fruits / drinking coffee just to loose my mind.

You know what I'm talking about?
Any advices are welcomed

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I would not get into a quick fix coffee habit, its just a stimulant that will give you a short term lift then a longer down time.

As Mike says fruit is a good source of sugars that will keep you happy.
Can you say what you have for breakfast, most days, before going to work.??

If you find after one hour you brain hurts, make a rule to stop what you are doing after say after 45 minutes, take a short break for 5 minutes.
Dont keep concentrating until you are feeling completely knackered or you will get to a stage called diminishing returns, ie: more effort for lower performance.

Thank you Mike.

This habit of eating for thinking bothers me as I don't want to gain wait, but I don't want to lose my job.

EngIntoHW said:

Thank you Mike.

This habit of eating for thinking bothers me as I don't want to gain wait, but I don't want to lose my job.

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There is a cure for the weight gain problem... I am 50 years old and do PT regularly.

hehe...

Nice hobby

Are there any foods that keep your brain satisfied for longer periods?

EngIntoHW said:

Nice hobby

Are there any foods that keep your brain satisfied for longer periods?

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For me, heavy carbs such as noodles and taters, fruits and veggies and only red meat 2 days a week.

EngIntoHW said:

Nice hobby

Are there any foods that keep your brain satisfied for longer periods?

Click to expand...

What do you have for breakfast.????????????????

Thanks Mike.
I'll try it out.

Eric,
For breakfast I eat 2 slices of wholewheat bread with low fat cheese and oats with milk.
And of course a cup of coffee

EngIntoHW said:

Thanks Mike.
I'll try it out.

Eric,
For breakfast I eat 2 slices of wholewheat bread with low fat cheese and oats with milk.
And of course a cup of coffee

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That sounds OK, oats and cheese are a slow energy release foods, the bread is good for sugars.
Use honey or syrup on your oats for quick sugar lift.

Eric, I say this with the utmost respect. Eric is living testament to longevity. I would value his input any day over mine. So listen to what he has to say.

Thanks Eric.

As for adding honey, well, I eat breakfast at home and it takes me about an hour to reach work, so I'd rather to maintain that sugar as much as possible

EngIntoHW said:

Thanks Eric.

As for adding honey, well, I eat breakfast at home and it takes me about an hour to reach work, so I'd rather to maintain that sugar as much as possible

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Providing you eat a good, varied diet, an occasional daily treat of a ' sticky bun' or a biscuit will be ok,
Dont forget nuts are a good source of slow release, dont use salted.

The bottom line is we are electro-chemically powered devices so we need regular well balanced meals.
If you had a high powered car you wouldn't use premium grade fuel, so treat you body the same way.

Dont forget the 'daily' exercise, two or three 10 min walks will help.

ericgibbs said:

Providing you eat a good, varied diet, an occasional daily treat of a ' sticky bun' or a biscuit will be ok,
Dont forget nuts are a good source of slow release, dont use salted.

The bottom line is we are electro-chemically powered devices so we need regular well balanced meals.
If you had a high powered car you wouldn't use premium grade fuel, so treat you body the same way.

Dont forget the 'daily' exercise, two or three 10 min walks will help.

Click to expand...

I agree with Eric, on the honey. It is a Complex sugar which delivers a slower burn the body won't peak and valley. It a slower burn or if you will an even burn. The body needs a good balance of Minerals and Vitamins. Having things high in fiber and enriched foods with Omega 3. What I'm saying is your going to need more of a balance of natural hole foods and the body will do the rest.

The next part is rest. If your not sleeping or not getting a good night's rest the stress of maintaining your competitive edge will cost you. That's where walking away from the project and gathering and centering comes in, you need to focus on yourself; after that you can focus on the solutions or fixes that you job requires.

Eisenstein, would often just walk to clear his thought's and think of things randomly. Then he would approach his problems later. Remember E=mc2 well it's relationship to you is the amount of energy you put in to it is what you get out of it

Edit:

I forgot. Maintaining your water is important, something with minerals in the afternoon is good. As Eric expressed we are electro-chemical and the brain can't function without electrolytes.

I almost always find that after working in a difficult problem and failing to have any solution, as soon as I stop thinking about it, the answer comes to me out of the blue, usually on my drive home. Course, the challenge it remembering it till the next day!

I have an ap for that; I open my voice recorder on my phone and speak my thought's into it and recover it later