Take a break from technology

There are multiple reasons you could be feeling tired, exhausted or even fatigued. It is the beginning of a new semester so the endless days of relaxation are unfortunately ending which could cause your yawning. Perhaps the relentless rain this week is causing you to crawl back into bed.  

A new study, which Matt Richtel of the New York Times explains in a detailed article this week, aims to show how digital devices could be exhausting you and perhaps preventing you from learning.

Scientists for the study, which was done at the University of California, San Francisco, tested rats while and after they had a new experience. During the new experience, such as finding an unknown area, their brains show patterns of activity.

Only after the rats take a break from the experience, though, do their brains process it allowing the creation of a memory. Without a substantial break their brains can't create a full memory.

The scientists feel that the same is true for humans. If you do not give yourself a break to process your experiences you won't fully remember them. What you learned in class earlier in the day could be forgotten by lunch if every moment since the new experience was spent inputting more information.

A tremendous amount of attention, in the scientific studies and the corresponding articles, is given to digital devices. Smart phones, iPads, computers and iPods are just a few devices that are stealing the time that people used to devote to breaks for their brain. Walking to the car, sitting at a stoplight and grocery shopping are just a few examples of times where people are talking, texting or checking their e-mail instead of resting.

"Almost certainly, downtime lets the brain go over experiences it's had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories," Loren Frank told the Times. Frank is an assistant professor in the department of physiology at the university and specializes in learning and memory. Frank also told the Times that constantly stimulating the brain could prevent the learning process.

Research from another study, at the University of Michigan, showed that people learned better after walking in nature opposed to a walk in an urban environment. Scientists concluded that processing all of that stimulation on the urban walk leaves people fatigued.

"People think they're refreshing themselves, but they're fatiguing themselves," Marc Berman, a University of Michigan neuroscientist, told the Times.

Regardless of the long list of reasons that would motivate you, ending an addiction to multitasking can be hard.

Now is the perfect time to reduce your brain stimulation, though, since it is the start of a new semester.

Everyone hates the feeling of dread when their grade on a test or paper is worse than they expected. Give your brain a chance to keep up with all of the information you are learning this semester and you might be surprised with higher grades.