8 Study Breaks That (actually) Make You Smarter
Summary
TLDRThis video script offers eight evidence-based tips for optimizing study breaks to enhance cognitive performance and wellbeing. It emphasizes the importance of adhering to break timings and suggests activities ranging from napping and cleaning to meditating and exercising. The top recommendations include taking mini exercise breaks and, most importantly, spending time outdoors to improve mental health and cognitive function.
Takeaways
- 🕒 Importance of Adhering to Break Timing: Sticking to the designated study and break times is crucial to prevent procrastination and maintain the effectiveness of the study break method.
- 📺 Watching YouTube Videos During Breaks: While convenient, they are ranked low as they involve screen time and lack physical movement, potentially disrupting the study-break cycle.
- 🛌 Short Naps for Cognitive Performance: Napping for 5-15 minutes can boost cognitive function, but longer naps can hinder performance and disrupt sleep-wake cycles.
- 🧹 Cleaning Up the Workspace: A tidy work area reduces distractions and can improve focus and performance, as messiness has been linked to decreased efficiency.
- 🧘♂️ Meditation During Breaks: Meditating can reduce stress and improve focus, with evidence showing benefits for immune response and brain activity.
- 🍎 Healthy Snacking: Consuming snacks with low glycemic index and high protein during breaks can help maintain steady energy levels and support brain function.
- 💺 Changing Positions: Altering your physical location during breaks can create an association between spaces and activities, enhancing focus when returning to study.
- 🏃♂️ Mini Exercise Breaks: Engaging in physical activity during breaks releases molecules beneficial for brain health and can improve memory and cognitive function.
- 🌳 Going Outside: Spending time outdoors and in nature has been shown to enhance cognitive function and mental health, making it the top recommended break activity.
- 🌱 Benefits of Green Space: Increased time spent in green spaces is linked to better health and well-being, suggesting that integrating nature into study breaks is beneficial.
- 💡 Personalizing Breaks: The script emphasizes the importance of finding and sticking to study break routines that work best for the individual, to maximize effectiveness.
Q & A
Why is it important to stick to the study break timing?
-Sticking to the study break timing is crucial because if breaks go too long or break-like activities are done during study time, it can create a procrastination feedback loop that eliminates the benefits of the study break method.
Why are YouTube videos ranked worst for study breaks?
-YouTube videos are ranked worst because they involve screen time and lack movement. Additionally, if the video is longer than the allotted break time, it can disrupt the study-break cycle.
What are the benefits of taking short naps during study breaks?
-Short naps (5-15 minutes) can improve cognitive performance. However, naps longer than 30 minutes can hinder performance by disrupting sleep cycles and leading to grogginess.
How can cleaning up during breaks improve studying?
-A clean workspace reduces distractions and can improve focus and performance. Cleaning also provides a mental break from studying, allowing the brain to calm down.
What are the benefits of meditation during study breaks?
-Meditation reduces stress and can improve focus. Studies show that meditation can increase brain activity related to learning and improve immune response.
What makes a good snack during study breaks?
-Good snacks have low glycemic index, high protein, and slow-release carbs. They provide sustained energy without causing glucose spikes and crashes.
Why is it beneficial to change positions during study breaks?
-Changing positions helps with classical conditioning, associating specific areas with certain activities. This keeps the study area focused on work and the break area on relaxation, improving overall focus and productivity.
What are the benefits of taking mini exercise breaks?
-Exercise releases molecules like IGF-1 and BDNF that promote brain health and improve memory. Exercise also reduces stress and anxiety, enhancing cognitive performance.
Why is going outside considered the best study break activity?
-Being in nature improves cognitive function and mental health. Studies show that time spent in green spaces is linked to better health and well-being, enhancing study performance.
How can incorporating these study break tips improve academic performance?
-Incorporating these tips can help manage stress, improve focus, and enhance cognitive function. Taking care of mental and physical well-being leads to better study habits and improved academic performance.
Outlines
📚 Optimizing Study Breaks for Enhanced Productivity
This paragraph introduces the concept of maximizing study breaks to enhance both study efficiency and personal wellbeing. The speaker emphasizes the importance of adhering to a structured study and break schedule to avoid procrastination and maintain the effectiveness of the study break method. The paragraph also outlines the video's agenda, which is to present a list of eight activities ranked from least to most beneficial during study breaks. The activities include watching YouTube videos, taking naps, cleaning up, meditating, having a healthy snack, changing positions, exercising, and spending time outdoors, with a focus on the least recommended activity being watching YouTube videos due to screen time and potential disruption of break timing.
💤 The Pros and Cons of Napping and Cleaning for Breaks
The speaker discusses the benefits and drawbacks of napping during study breaks, highlighting that while short naps can improve cognitive performance, longer naps can hinder it and disrupt sleep-wake cycles. The recommended nap duration is five to 15 minutes. Additionally, the paragraph covers the advantages of cleaning up the workspace during breaks, which can lead to improved focus and performance by reducing distractions. The speaker shares personal tips on engaging fully in cleaning activities as a form of mental relaxation, separate from studying.
🧘♂️ Meditation, Mindful Snacking, and the Power of Position Change
This section delves into the benefits of meditation during breaks, suggesting it can reduce stress and improve exam performance. The speaker cites studies that link meditation to increased antibody production and changes in brain activity associated with better focus. The paragraph also emphasizes the importance of snacking wisely on low glycemic index foods to maintain steady energy levels for the brain. Furthermore, it discusses the concept of classical conditioning and how changing positions during breaks can create a mental distinction between study and relaxation times, thus improving focus upon returning to study.
🏃♂️ Exercise and Outdoor Time: Top Tips for Study Breaks
The speaker presents exercise and spending time outdoors as the top activities for study breaks. They discuss how exercise releases molecules beneficial for brain health and learning, and how it can reduce stress and anxiety, thereby improving study performance. The paragraph also highlights the importance of going outside and being in nature, citing evidence that it improves cognitive function and mental health. The speaker shares personal anecdotes about the positive impact of these activities on their study habits and encourages viewers to prioritize self-care for better study outcomes.
🌳 Integrating Break Activities for a Balanced Study Routine
The final paragraph wraps up the video by summarizing the break activities discussed and emphasizing the importance of finding a study break routine that works for the individual. The speaker provides a personal example of how they integrated various break activities into their study schedule, underscoring the flexibility in applying the suggested tips. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to stick to a study break timing that enhances productivity and a thank you note to the viewers for watching the video.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Study Breaks
💡Cognitive Performance
💡YouTube Videos
💡Napping
💡Clean Workspace
💡Meditation
💡Snack
💡Exercise
💡Nature
💡Wellbeing
💡Pomodoro Technique
Highlights
Study breaks are crucial for maximizing studying efficiency and wellbeing.
Adhering to study break timing is essential to avoid creating a procrastination loop.
Watching YouTube videos during breaks is not recommended due to screen time and potential for extended breaks.
Short naps can improve cognitive performance, but should be limited to avoid entering deep sleep cycles.
Cleaning up the workspace during breaks can reduce distractions and improve focus.
Meditation during breaks can reduce stress and improve exam performance.
Snacking on slow carbs and high protein during breaks helps maintain steady energy levels for the brain.
Changing positions during breaks uses classical conditioning to associate different spaces with different activities.
Exercise during breaks releases molecules like IGF-1 and BDNF, which are beneficial for brain function and memory.
Spending time outside and in nature significantly improves cognitive function and mental health.
A clean workspace can enhance performance, as seen in studies with medical students and surgery residents.
Meditation can increase the immune response, as shown in a study with mindfulness meditation training.
The brain requires glucose for metabolic activity and the formation of new neuronal connections.
Associating specific activities with specific places can improve focus and productivity.
Exercise not only boosts physical health but also prepares the brain for better learning and memory retention.
Prioritizing wellbeing, including sleep, exercise, and fun, can lead to better study habits and performance.
The recommended duration for effective outdoor breaks is between 120 to 300 minutes per week.
Transcripts
Let's talk about what we should do on our study breaks
to maximize our studying and our wellbeing.
So are there things we can do for our study breaks
that actually help us out when we go back to study later,
or maybe just help our mind be in a better place
for when we go and study later?
Well, I did the research and yes, there are things
there are better activities to do during our study break,
as opposed to other activities.
So in this video, I'm gonna give you eight things to do
during your study breaks from worst to best.
(gentle music)
Before we get into the individual tips,
I just want to reiterate the importance of actually
sticking to your study break timing.
Suppose you set a specific amount of time
that you wanna study and a specific amount of time
that you wanna take a break, if you mess up that time.
So for example, if you take a break that goes too long,
or you start doing break like activities
during your study time,
it defeats the whole purpose of the study breaks format.
It creates an awful procrastination
conditioning feedback loop that eliminates the benefits
from the entire study break method.
Jeez fucking are you not studying?
Hey, I'm gonna study gee, calm it down.
God's sake, man.
Just let me, I just want to study something it's studying.
but you're telling me it's not, not to study.
Oh, sorry.
He's a little testy today.
Okay.
Things we can do during our break
and remember we're going from worse to best.
Number eight, I have watch YouTube videos.
(gentle music)
YouTube videos are actually often
perfectly timed for breaks.
However, they are ranked worst in my list of things
to do during your breaks because you're looking at a screen
again, you're not really moving.
They're just not a great thing to do during a study break.
Also the YouTube video you're watching is longer
than the allotted time you're given for your study break.
Then you might break the cycle of study break
in the exact timing.
And again, that is the cardinal sin.
That is the thing we don't wanna do
if you are using the strategy, which I honestly often do,
then make sure you at least get up
from wherever you're studying.
So I study in that desk over there,
move to a different position
and kind of watch the YouTube video on a separate device.
So I will never watch a YouTube video for like
kind of relaxing on that computer.
I'll usually go to my couch or lay on the floor over there
and kind of watch it on my phone or iPad.
And seriously comply with the break time.
If you have a five minute break and it's a 10 minute video,
maybe you watch five minutes now, you study again.
And then you watch the second five minutes
when you're done with your next study session.
And watching a YouTube video isn't lousy option entirely
because it does switch your brain off,
from kind of the focused study mode
to kind of a more relaxed mode.
I would make watch a video that's kind of relaxing and chill
as opposed to a video that's gonna make you
think really hard.
Bottom line change positions, change devices,
and watch a fun YouTube video.
(gentle music)
So option number seven, we are just on number eight.
Remember we're going worse to best is have a short nap.
Naps actually have been proven
to improve cognitive performance.
Specifically, according to the paper I read
five to 15 minutes, is this perfect zone for taking a nap.
Once you get past 30 minutes, however,
you enter this kind of sleep cycle
shifting into a deeper phase of sleep,
which when you come out of it
actually it hinders your performance.
This is one of the reasons I've ranked napping so low
because it is so dangerous,
and so easy to go past this 5, 10, 15 minute mark,
and go 30 minutes, an hour and 90 minutes,
and this will ruin your performance afterwards.
More importantly, is this can mess up your sleep wake cycle,
which I really don't like to mess up.
If you sleep beyond kind of 10, 15 minutes,
if you use this strategy make sure to only sleep
for about five to 10 minutes,
set that on the timer and stick to it.
When you're done taking your nap, get up and go back
and sit down in the place where you're gonna study.
So bottom line take a five to 10 minute nap.
Option number six is to clean up.
(gentle music)
A clean workspace can improve focus and improve performance.
One study looked at 13 medical students
and surgery residents,
and had them perform laparoscopic surgery
via a virtual reality trainer.
Some of the students or residents performing the surgery
had a distraction while others did not,
not surprisingly the distracted surgeons
took 30 to 40% longer to perform the surgery.
Another study had people drive in a simulator
and added visual distractions to certain participants.
Distracted drivers had it's significantly worse performance,
performing driving maneuvers than the nondistracted drivers.
So fewer distractions may mean improved performance.
So clean up that workspace.
So cleaning up your workspace during this break,
first of all offers the benefit
of improving your studying later.
Second of all, it's kind of nice to just get up
and do something else.
And when I'm cleaning up, I try to us clean up.
I know this sounds silly,
but I don't listen to music or a podcast.
For example, if I'm doing the dishes,
I kind of try and focus on the feeling of the hot water
going over on my hands,
the feeling of my weight and the feet on the ground,
and like the smell of the weird like
lemony dish soap that I use.
Again, this sounds silly, but I think it is beneficial
when you actually remove yourself
from the study, study, study,
and just get in the zone of doing something
that really requires no mental effort whatsoever.
I think it gives your brain a time to calm down
and allows you to come back to studying that much better.
Okay. So for when, if you use this break,
the most important thing is to clean your work area first,
because this may actually benefit your studying later.
That means removing old coffee mugs, granola bars,
all this kind of junk from the desk.
Because as I mentioned, even though you think
these distractions aren't hindering your performance,
they really are.
So bottom line, if you're taking a cleanup break,
clean up your desk, and then the rest of your space,
specifically, the things in your eye line
while you are studying,
are the most important things to clean up.
(gentle music)
Option number five is to meditate.
Putting your body in a different spot,
just focusing on your breath
and just sitting there completely still can work wonders.
Sometimes during exams I'll even take
one of these mini meditation breaks during the actual exam.
I remember a proctor actually poked me
'cause she was worried that I fell asleep during the exam.
And sometimes students will look at me funny,
but really it helps me a lot to kind of just sit there
for one minute or five minutes,
and just do nothing and just kind of calm everything down
so I can move on.
So I can focus on the next parts of the exam.
So where is the evidence for this?
Well, I'm kind of making a connection here,
but people who meditate are less stressed
and people who are more stressed perform worse on exams.
In one study, 25 subjects had their brain activity
and antibody titers I know interesting, right?
Measured after an eight week
mindfulness meditation training program.
So what happened is they had two groups of individuals.
One went on this meditation training program
and the other just kind of lived their normal life.
And what they did is after they went on
this training meditation program,
both of the groups were vaccinated against the flu.
So influenza and then their blood was taken
and titers of antibodies.
So titers of kind of your body generating an immune response
against this vaccine were recorded from both groups.
And there were significant increases in the antibody
amounts in the group that went on the meditation retreat,
as opposed to the group that didn't go
on the meditation retreat.
Also importantly to us, there was significantly increased
left-sided anterior brain activity,
in the people that went on the meditation retreat,
as opposed to the people that did not go
on the meditation retreat.
Meditation can do crazy things in a good way.
Also this short form meditation during your brinks
is a great way to kind of just dip your toes
into the awesome world that is meditation.
I've meditated for about three years now.
And I can say it is one of the few things
that really has actually changed my life.
What about me, what are you saying?
Oh, fuck.
Yeah, Freud you changed my life too.
Okay. Now go back in the closet.
Thank you.
So bottom line is try meditating.
Tip number four. Okay.
We're getting onto the good stuff now
is to have a good snack to eat during the break.
(gentle music)
So let's talk about what makes up a good snacks.
Well, big carbs, big glucose, big sugar, big crash,
bad news, slow carbs, high protein,
low glycemic index, good news.
So let's take a look at a little graph I drew here.
Sorry, for the crappiness of the way it's drawn
and let's look what happens when you eat
a high glycemic index food,
versus when you have a meal with low glycemic index.
So you notice where the part where the kind of,
your blood glucose levels dips below this line.
This is the crash.
This is the thing we want to definitely avoid
when we have a snack, also the high you sometimes get,
when you eat a bunch of ice cream or like really sugary food
is almost too high.
It's almost too hard to focus.
Ever seen kids like darting around after they eat ice cream.
That's because their glucose levels are super high
and then shortly after they will crash.
Unfortunately, keeping your blood glucose levels in control
is kind of a tricky thing to do beyond that importantly,
we do need glucose in our blood.
We need it for metabolic activity.
And guess what the most medically,
active part of your body is?
Your brain.
Your brain accounts for 20% of your total oxygen metabolism.
So please for your brain's sake, have some snackage.
Have you ever tried to study on a day like
when you're fasting before you're gonna, I don't know,
get your blood taken or for some reason
you're fasting for some religious reason.
It's really hard to study on that day.
We need at energy from food to generate ATP,
to build new neuronal connections,
which a lot of people believe is what memories
and learning actually is.
But recently, I've been like, really just,
I like this kind of sucky water bottle.
I know it sounds really weird,
but you just kinda like suck it.
Maybe I have an oral fixation or something where.
You like it. You drink water bottle.
I know. I see it.
I see you like it, what are these?
This is oral fixation classic.
You know, you're conditioning me to hate you.
Now I'm scared to say this,
but tip number three is change position
because when you change position,
you're using classical conditioning, which is you...
Where did you get?
Is that a picture of, who is that?
What is this picture of my mother?
It's your mom?
Do you just carry that around with you?
I love her.
You know, that's weird, right?
Like weird.
Oh, it is not weird. You are weird.
Okay.
Stupid take.
Okay.
Can you just take a break for this section please.
I promise you can come back in the final tip.
Okay? Sorry.
So using things to make yourself think in a certain way,
I will always do certain things in a certain place.
I'll always study at my desk.
I'll always do YouTube work at a seat,
kind of in the room over there.
I'll always sleep in my bed
and I'll always relax on the couch.
I don't intermingle these things.
I only do these certain activities in these certain areas.
This is the same reason why sleep experts say
you should only sleep in your bed,
because if you only sleep in your bed over time,
you're gonna associate in your mind, your bed with sleep.
If you go on like three hour Netflix session in your bed,
then your body may not as closely associate
the bed with sleep.
So when I take my breaks, for example,
I make sure to change positions.
So if I'm always studying at that desk over there,
I'll go sit on the couch or just sit somewhere else
and use a different device to take my break.
And then when I come sit back at my work desk,
I don't have any of my break activities
sitting at the work desk means work,
sitting on the couch means break.
Bottom line, only study in your study spot
only take your break in your break spot.
Okay.
Number two, we are getting really, really good stuff here.
Take a mini exercise break.
(gentle music)
This was competing in my head for the number one best thing
or the number two best thing,
but is really, really good thing to do.
So molecules such as IGF-1 are released during exercise
that may be responsible for the maintenance of brain cells.
And it is also directly related to spatial,
learning and memory.
Another molecule of brain derived neurotrophic factor
or BDNF is a major modulator of brain plasticity,
and is also released more during exercise than non-exercise.
Evidence shows that activity or exercise in humans
and mice increases hippocampal neurogenesis,
that part of the brain that's responsible for memory
cell proliferation and dendritic branching.
Exercise is a pretty darn good thing to do
for your study break.
Also, exercise is proven to reduce stress and anxiety
and study shows that stress and anxiety reduce performance.
Now, the great thing about using exercise
as one of your study breaks,
is that duration really doesn't matter.
I will often like stretch or lay down,
or some of my winter are always doing pushups,
doing pull-ups think about the amount of pushups
you will accumulate over the day.
If every time you're on a study break,
you just do pushups the whole time.
It's like a great way to work out.
And anecdotally there's something rejuvenating
about just exercising and getting your heart moving.
And if you wanna take this to another level,
you go outside and do the exercise.
Whenever I have a long day of studying planned,
I will always plan an exercise session,
preferably outside smack dab in the middle of this session.
Well, why is this?
Well, I remember from all those articles
and papers that I've blurted out earlier,
that when you exercise your brain actually gets in the mode
to learn more information,
that brain derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF and IGF-1,
are making your brain ready to learn information.
So when I come back from my exercise session,
I'll actually learn better
than if I didn't go out and exercise.
I remember when I first started medical school,
I used to think like I have to put every single waking hour
into studying it is medical school, right?
I will be treating human beings.
However, I quickly found that like I was burning out.
I wasn't for focusing on myself.
I was only focusing on the schoolwork
and I also started not studying like I usually do.
I started like procrastinating and going on my phone
while I was in a study session.
And in my first couple of tests in med school,
I didn't perform as well as I knew I could.
I prioritized my wellbeing, sleep, exercise,
and having occasional fun.
And guess what?
I studied less and I started performing better.
This realization, this like epiphany is one of the reasons
I started this whole YouTube channel,
because I wanna share with other like students, learners,
and everyone in the world,
really anyone that will watch this video
that taking care of your mind, taking your body,
focusing on your wellbeing is so, so important.
And if you still think, I don't really care about that.
I just wanna do the best I possibly can do on the test.
And trust me, I was there.
I was in that mindset to do the best
I possibly can on the test,
no matter what your performance will improve
when you improve taking care of yourself.
I know it sounds silly, but really, really try it out
and see your test scores go up.
So bottom line, any form of exercise
is a tip top tip for study breaks.
Okay.
We've made it to the number one tip the thing
that I think is the best thing to do during your breaks
and simply it's to go outside.
(gentle music)
This is backed by evidence
and anecdotally it's the best for me.
A couple papers show that nature improves
human cognitive function and mental health,
with the rapid pace of kind of cities getting bigger
and more everywhere, it seems kind of globally.
And even like are in my immediate environment
that people are just having less contact with nature,
less contact with green space.
And the evidence is clear to a certain point more time
in green space is better than less time in green space,
specifically for mental health.
Who do you think is going to study better
and perform better on exams?
Someone who has good mental health
or someone who has bad mental health?
In 2019 Nature released an article that took,
not nature as in out there I mean like the journal Nature.
So had an article that took nearly 20,000 adults
and examined their time in nature.
They weren't living in the journal.
Okay, I'm done with this joke.
They found at least 120 minutes of outside a week
was linked with significantly greater reports
of good health and high wellbeing,
with peak associations being between 200
and 300 minutes per week.
So if you're studying nine hours a day,
theoretically, if you use the 20, 5, 5 Pomodoro method,
you'll have about 140 minutes of break time.
So you could hit that week 120 minute mark in one day,
but it's kind of hard because you have to leave
your apartment and walk outside,
find green space and come back.
So usually what I'll do is I'll save up
kind of one of my big breaks.
So one of my 20 minute breaks
and use that as kind of outside time.
And again, when I'm doing this outside time,
I go find the greenest place I can find.
And I avoid using my phone.
I avoid kind of listening to music or the radio.
I just kind of focus on walking outside.
So bottom line for my number one thing to do
during breaks is go outside, and be in nature,
chill out, and then come back to study better than ever.
Okay. But those are all of my tips.
Those are all the things that I think you should do
during your breaks.
And of course this isn't the end all be all.
There's so many tons of other things
you could do during your breaks.
These are just the things that I found most backed
by evidence and most actually supported by me
doing those things.
So really like any outside, any exercise,
anything with no screens is usually a good break.
So just to put out an example that is, so for example,
this is kind of something I did the other day,
I had a 25 minutes study.
And then I felt like I still wanted to study.
I was still in the zone.
So I studied for another 25 minutes,
but then I accumulated 10 minutes of break time.
So I used that 10 minutes to clean my apartment.
And then I did 25 minutes of studying.
Then in the next five minute break,
I had a snack which was an apple and some tea.
Then I studied for 25 minutes again.
And then I had my big 20 minute break, right?
'Cause once you do four study, 25 minutes,
you get the 20 minute break.
And I went for a nice walk outside.
And then I had my 25 minutes of studying
and I did pushups for five minutes, 25 minutes of studies.
I think I did pushups and pull-ups for five minutes
after that, then I had 25 minutes of study,
another snack while looking out the window,
25 minutes of study.
And then I did a 10 minute like yoga stretch
and 10 minutes of meditation.
And that was just for that section.
But the most important thing
is to stick to the study breaks that work for you,
sticking to the study break timing is the most important.
And hopefully, some of these breaks, you got an idea
or you figured out,
"Oh, maybe I can actually go for a walk outside
or maybe I'll start to do like pushups during my breaks."
Those are all good things that will benefit your study.
But if you made it to the end of this video,
thank you so much watching.
And I will see you on the next one.
I'm watching you.
You know, I watch, I keep, I stay here.
You think I do not pay attention,
but me and my friend Pavlo, we have things we talk,
you know, what are you doing over there?
Are you not studying, you read?
I beat you.
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