Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
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Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#2Here's a trick I've been using: if you are driving and start feeling tired, hold your breath. Your brain will go into a bit of a panic mode: "Where's all the O2?!", and you will feel more awake for a short period of time. Do note, that this is a great trick to get you to the rest area 3 miles down the road, not a good way to drive all night long.
Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#3Here's a trick I've been using: if you are driving and start feeling tired, hold your breath. Your brain will go into a bit of a panic mode: "Where's all the O2?!", and you will feel more awake for a short period of time. Do note, that this is a great trick to get you to the rest area 3 miles down the road, not a good way to drive all night long.
That's better than my old "increasingly harder slaps to the face" trick.
Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#4Here's a trick I've been using: if you are driving and start feeling tired, hold your breath. Your brain will go into a bit of a panic mode: "Where's all the O2?!", and you will feel more awake for a short period of time. Do note, that this is a great trick to get you to the rest area 3 miles down the road, not a good way to drive all night long.
Yawning is designed to wake you up. Yawn's apparently provide a boost of O2. We yawn when we're tired because we're trying to stay awake/alert and yawning enables that; if someone yawns when you're talking then they're actually trying to concentrate - that's a good thing.
I'm pretty good at fighting the panic response when holding my breath - lots of underwater swimming bravado as a child - at what point do you breath?!? Leave it too long and you'll just pass out at the wheel. I'd imagine for me this would be too distracting and make me more likely to crash.
A research contender though.
Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#5There's one thing that fully wakes me up every morning better than a dozen cups of coffee ever would: biking to work.
Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#6Here's a trick I've been using: if you are driving and start feeling tired, hold your breath. Your brain will go into a bit of a panic mode: "Where's all the O2?!", and you will feel more awake for a short period of time. Do note, that this is a great trick to get you to the rest area 3 miles down the road, not a good way to drive all night long.
Yawning is designed to wake you up. Yawn's apparently provide a boost of O2. We yawn when we're tired because we're trying to stay awake/alert and yawning enables that; if someone yawns when you're talking then they're actually trying to concentrate - that's a good thing. I'm pretty good at fighting the panic response when holding my breath - lots of underwater swimming bravado as a child - at what point do you breat…
I imagine, just like everything else, it doesn't work the same way for everyone. I have tried several techniques of this personally, including filling my lungs and holding my breath, and exhaling completely and holding my breath. The latter works better for me. I have no special training but I can hold my breath for about a minute if my lungs are full. The problem there seems to be that it gets me even sleepier. However, if I exhale and hold my breath it only takes about 10-20 seconds and the response is very immediate and sharp.
I should also note that I don't tend to pass out. Last time I came close to passing out, I was in a state where most people would have (blood pressure at 70/40). Perhaps this trick is not for you if you pass out easily.
Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#7There's one thing that fully wakes me up every morning better than a dozen cups of coffee ever would: biking to work.
I'm curious about the logistics behind this. Do you have an issues carrying items to work? Spare clothes, laptop, lunch, etc. Also, do you shower and change once you get to work?
Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#8There's one thing that fully wakes me up every morning better than a dozen cups of coffee ever would: biking to work.
I'm curious about the logistics behind this. Do you have an issues carrying items to work? Spare clothes, laptop, lunch, etc. Also, do you shower and change once you get to work?
A backpack solves all of those issues. None of that is necessarily very large.
As for the shower, some work places have showers. Depending on how much you work out and what the climate is like you may or may not be a heavy sweater after a ride to work. People who work out often tend to sweat more because their bodies adapt to their routines and start to sweat at the slightest hint of physical exercise. People who don't work out extensively often tend to be more reserved when it comes to sweating. You are going to work, not a date. So it may not be an issue at all.
I can't wait to get a bike next season and start biking to work.
Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#9Here's a trick I've been using: if you are driving and start feeling tired, hold your breath. Your brain will go into a bit of a panic mode: "Where's all the O2?!", and you will feel more awake for a short period of time. Do note, that this is a great trick to get you to the rest area 3 miles down the road, not a good way to drive all night long.
Neat, I hadn't heard of that one. Both of the tricks for staying awake and alert while driving that I have used involve discomfort:
- If it's cold outside, roll down your window.
- Find a radio station playing music you dislike and crank it up.
Re: Unexpected ways to wake up your brain
#10Here's a trick I've been using: if you are driving and start feeling tired, hold your breath. Your brain will go into a bit of a panic mode: "Where's all the O2?!", and you will feel more awake for a short period of time. Do note, that this is a great trick to get you to the rest area 3 miles down the road, not a good way to drive all night long.
I have an additional hypothesis for why holding your breath might give you more cognitive energy for a period of time. It could be that the stomach compression and neck muscle tension that often accompanies holding your breath is raising the blood pressure in the head area and thereby increasing blood perfusion.