Usually when you think of fatigue, you assume it’s physical. It can be from working out too much or any kind of taxing physical activity—moving furniture, carrying heavy groceries, mowing the lawn, bathing a big dog, and so on. Mental fatigue, however, affects your ability to think, focus or concentrate. Brain imaging techniques reveal that the brain, just like your muscles, gets fatigued when it is used without rest.1
When suffering from mental fatigue, you may notice your mind wandering or being easily distracted, so you can’t effectively continue the task at hand. Mental fatigue arises when your brain senses it is running out of the resources it needs to continue thinking or problem-solving. The brain manages not to shut down; instead, it moves toward less intense endeavors, which manifests as going out of focus, being distracted or doing something that requires less thought.
Any mentally demanding work can lead to fatigue, but how quickly your mind grows tired depends on the kind of work you are doing. Factors that accelerate mental fatigue include:
• Solving complex problems, learning new skills, making risky decision.
• Having to ignore distracts (known as impulse resistance)
• Concentrating on projects over a prolonged period of time without breaks.2
To counteract mental fatigue or better yet, to avert it, you can schedule frequent breaks that allow your brain time to rest. These breaks can be pausing for as little as five seconds every two minutes to 10 minutes every 90 minutes when doing work that requires deep concentration.3 By keeping the break under 10 minutes, you allow your brain to rest without losing momentum. Longer breaks may help your stamina when the job at hand is exceptionally intense.
A break can involve stretching, a walk around the block, a few asanas, or hydrating with a tall glass of alkaline PiMag® water. And whatever you decide to do on your break, make sure it’s not something that requires more brain power! If your mental workout involves intense tasks such as learning new technologies or troubleshooting in real time, try to limit it to four hours a day. Working beyond this timeframe can cause mental fatigue that carries over into the next day.4
Since mental fatigue is not visible from the outside, it is easy to forget it exists until it starts harming performance or affecting your health and well-being. So, be sure to schedule in time to rest your brain!
Active Wellness Blog 