It has always been believed that the human brain gets its "rest" during the non-REM phase of sleep, as shown by previous brain imaging studies. You know, much like a computer shutsdown so it can rest. The fact that you do not remember anything during sleep (except for occasional recollections of a dream during REM sleep) seems to support this.

 

However, recent studies published in ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2008), have shown that even during our deepest stages of sleep or "slow-wave-sleep," there is a transient and recurrent increase of activity in some parts of our brain.

With the use of functional MRI (fMRI) combined with EEG, researchers have evidence of slow oscillations interpreted as an increase of brain activity during non-REM sleep. These areas of activation during deep sleep are pointing towards the functions of sleep in memory consolidation. It's much more like your "computer" isn't shutdown, it goes on auto-defrag.

This study, supported by the National Fund for Scientific Research in Belgium, the University of Liege, and the Queen Elizabeth Medical Foundation is another breakthrough in establishing sleep's crucial function to our intelligence.

 

 

This is what Miss Kalish recommends: do some mental exercising puzzles (crossword, soduko,etc.) for about an hour and then "cool down with a glass of wine." Besides improving your brain health, this could even ward off Alzheimer's disease. Oops! We forgot to mention... Moderation, she cautions.

We have to point out, however, that drinking more than a glass could hurt you more than it would benefit your brain (before you guys go rushing to your parents to show this post for a free pass to the bar!)

In fact, WebMD, in its Cancel Happy Hour: Alcohol Shrinks Brain article, says drinking 7 to 14 times a week (considered "moderate drinking") would harm your brain: even moderate drinking could cause your brain to slightly deteriorate.

Nintendo's Brain Age, on the other hand, has been widely accepted as a brain-boosting video game. Dr. R. Kaplan, in a post at Smartkit.com adds Dance Dance Revolution and In The Groove to the list. He said that numerous research, using Synchronized Metronome Tapping , have shown remarkable improvement from respondents. These improvements range from coordination and attention to reading and math fluency.

Got an exam coming? Get to the video gaming dance floor and start dancing for some brain push-ups!

Now, the computer gaming horizon is getting stirred up by the rapid development of a mind-computer interface. With this technology, supposedly, you can game as if you're Neo strapped to a chair with a large socket plugged in to your skull. Except that there would be no humungous socket drilled to your skull -- you simply put on a trendy X-Men wireless headset.

Neurosky and Emotiv are leading the pack of these mind-reading geeks.

A year after Neurosky was founded (2004), it boasted of its brainwave-reading technology that interfaces with consumer electronic products such as mobile technology (teamed up with China Mobile in 2005), toys (teamed up with Sega Toys in 2007), and finally teaming up with Square Enix to produce the mind-computer interface which was then only available to Thomas Anderson (OK, I'm just showing off...it's Neo!) and Morpheus's gang.

Emotiv seems to have stolen Eurosky's thunder lately with the (brain)waves the company has been stirring. Read this report from CNN.

While the future looks bright with this development, some remain skeptical about this brain-computer interface. It takes a lot of practice to fine-tune one's hand-eye coordination.

Then again, even Neo had to train his brain before he could stop bullets in mid-air.

WATER

Your body is composed mostly of water (60% of your weight). However, can you imagine how little water some people drink each day? Losing even as little as 1 to 2 percent of water from your body weight (mild dehydration) can sap your energy and make you feel tired. Some of the signs of dehydration include fatigue, headache, muscle weakness, dizziness, and lightheadedness.

OK, Buddy, you don't need coffee. You need water. Drink enough water to keep your brain and body primed.

SUNLIGHT

Think cloudy day vs. bright sunny day. See how the former makes you feel glum while the latter is associated with the upbeat feel-good, outdoorsy live-life-to-the-fullest mood? Sunlight triggers serotonin that controls sleep patterns, body temperatures, improves sex drive, good mood, and wards off depression.

Sunlight helps your body manufacture vitamin D. Vitamin D increases oxygen in your blood. This, in turn, increases your energy, sharpens your mind, and makes you feel good. If you don't have the benefits of a natural sunlight in your workplace, having brighter lightings would help keep you more alert than working in a dim environment.

HEALTHY DIET AND EXERCISE

We need not remind you that you are what you eat. Having a healthy diet and regular exercise means a well-conditioned body, increased energy, improvements in your body functions, strengthened immune system, and better weight.

Doesn't this make you feel light-footed already?

GOOD DISPOSITION

Stress and depression are issues you need to deal with promptly. And no, you can't drown them with coffee. Being a pessimist gets you feeling old and grumpy. Don't be overly negative over things. Have you heard of the phrase, "Bring your own sunshine"?

Don't let bad incidents let you down--that's the difference between a whiner and a winner.

TAKE A NAP

New studies have shown that napping improves verbal, perceptual, and motor skills. See ("New Report: Napping Better than Coffee as Picker-Upper')

BOOST YOURSELF WITH iMusic WAKEUP SUITE

Skip that trip to the coffee shop and invigorate yourself to a fresh, energized and razor-sharp mind-state. iMusic WakeUp Suite is a comprehensive physiological activation system that does not only turbo-charge you in a matter of minutes, but also trains your brain and balances your brainwaves for a better performing you.

(Updated: Dec. 11, 2008)

OK.  You may be the smartest dude in the office.  But why does your boss ignore you and heads straight to Chuck Bartowski's cubicle instead? Laggard, your to-do-list is longer than the lyrics of Don McLean's "American Pie" and is as old as Mount Rushmore.

We sure hope you won't feel alluded to when you check out this timetable that Nescafe' posted  (which we modified a little) on their website:

* 5 minutes - Sort out desk, sharpen pencils

* 5 minutes - Decide on what to do (check/revise/update to-do-list)

* 5 minutes - Arrange files, and table clutter 

* 10 minutes - Look out the window, daydream

* 5 minutes - check/send text messages, make a phone call

* 20 minutes - Open e-mail, click on links, open myYahoo!/Facebook/etc.

* 10 minutes - Open work file and do some tasks. 

* TOTAL OF 1 HOUR! 

Procrastination is not your inability to manage time or the result of your lack of planning.  It is about your lack of self-regulation.  A procrastinator's failure to deliver on time is not limited to the workplace alone.  Procrastinators also tend to fail to pay their bills on time, miss buses or flights, they file their income tax returns late, etc. 

Procrastinators lie to themselves by saying things like, "I work better under pressure," or "It's ok to submit it late," when, in truth, they usually fail due to pressure.  And they know so well their necks are headed to the chopping block, for not finishing the task on time. 

Psychology Today lists 10 things you need to know about procrastination.  It also says procrastinators can change, and it suggests a highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy as a means to a cure. 

Anyone needs to see his shrink?