Today's Tuesday, But Seems Like Saturday

Ever mix up a day, from the time you waken to think it's Saturday, rather than Tuesday? Suzanna Stinnet's curiosity piqued about this phenomenon, so she asked about it.

Since questions challenge me, I could not get this out of my mind and mulled it over for a few days. As usual, the findings are fascinating...

When someone anticipates, action soon follows "The brain is all about anticipation and prediction," Josef Rauschecker, Georgetown University Medical Center neuroscientist finds.

Weekend and daily routines differ in basal ganglia If you waken, thinking it is Saturday, your brain would follow through your usual Saturday pattern, based on what you've stored over time in your brain's basal ganglia. "Probably you’ve observed how static lives come from dull daily routines," Dr. Ellen Weber observes, "where people settle into status quo, and no longer seek adventure." She describes how the basal ganglia works:

At the center of most ruts, lies your brain’s basal ganglia. Experts call it your mental storehouse for habits, routines and every lifetime experience you’ve encountered. It’s also a place to promote and prolong annoying ruts.

Brain plays trick If you have a Tuesday holiday, such as Independence Day, you may start your day without setting the alarm, as you would on a Saturday. Can you see how your brain might play a trick on you? Perhaps there was a disconnect with the routine or association when the alarm does not go off, so that leads your brain to act as if it were Saturday. What do you think?

Hmmm... The alarm did not go off today, but I awaken with the sun. Oops, sometimes not!

What's your experience?

Thwart Theft of Memory Bandits

"Prudy, where're my keys," I overheard a friend's 30-year-old husband inquire, not so softly.

Putting a planner, keys or other items in a different place can challenge memory no matter your age. To counter forgetful moments, maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health. Recently, Columbia University Medical Center researchers discovered that high blood sugar can cause you to be "hippocampically challenged."

Memories are stored in your brain's hippocampus, whether new words of a foreign language you're memorizing, an equation to use for an algebraic problem, or where you put down your keys.

"In the era on an aging population, memory is the new sex," David Brooks, Op-ed columnist for the New York Times, claims. So what can be done to keep your brainpower at optimum?

Three actions do much to keep brain's hippocampus at prime performance: maintain blood sugar levels, get plenty of exercise and challenge mind by learning in new areas.

Limit sugar intake People need some sugar to maintain health but too many cans of soda, too many rich desserts and candy consumed from your desk at work are some ways folks can begin to make changes. Regular check-ups at your physician's help you keep a pulse on this.

Regular aerobic exercise When it comes to the hippocampus, the part of your brain vital to certain types of memory, size matters. Numerous studies have shown that bigger is usually better. Now researchers discovered that elderly adults who are more physically fit tend to have bigger hippocampi and better spatial memory than those less fit.

Novelty stokes memory "Not surprisingly, memory strengthens and the brain’s rejuvenated, Dr. Ellen Weber reports, "in the presence of novelty." She adds...

How does it happen? Your brain’s hippocampus releases a shot of dopamine in response to novelty. Anthony Grace at the University of Pittsburgh describes a feedback loop that involves a chemical and electrical interactions between dopamine and novel or unexpected events. This lively process appears to lock in memory, as it also engages the amygdala where the brain processes emotional information.

Keeping the brain in mind as you age?

Losing Your Ability to Concentrate?

My experience is what I agree to attend to William James

Easily distracted? Though many jobs require high concentration, psychologists are finding out that even when people try to focus on a task, they tend to lose concentration... within 40 minutes and sometimes as little as 10.

"You can drive yourself crazy trying to multitask and answer every e-mail message instantly," says Winifred Gallagher, author of Rapt, a guide to living a focused life.

Ever go to a coffee shop or a restaurant where there's a TV and find your eyes quickly diverting to something that catches your attention on the screen to take your focus away from your conversation with a work colleague? I've noticed that if I have TweetDeck on one computer monitor and my work on the other, my focus on work is soon disintegrated. Why is that?

When something bright or novel flashes, it tends to automatically win the competition for the brain's attention. Dr. Robert Desimone, M.I.T. neuroscientist, calls that "biased competition." He found that neurons in the prefrontal cortex, the brain's planning center, start oscillating in unison and send signals directing the visual cortex to heed something else. So if you're reading a book and a television commercial diverts you, you may not have enough resources left to focus on the words.

Why it's hard to multitask

Doing too much makes you slower and dumber

90% of American adults are multitasking. However, they may not be more productive since six out of ten agree they're "busier," but often feel like they get less done.

Multitasking is notoriously inefficient though at certain optimal times it can be efficient.

What helps increase focus then? Gallagher advocates

Meditation exercises

Concentrate on most important task of day during first 90 minutes at work

Use ear plugs to shut out distracting noises

I'd add three:

Play baroque music softly as you write or work

Turn off cell phone, TV and electronic gadgets

Use new and creative approaches for routine tasks

I want to spend every day very mindfully to accomplish work and find pleasure in it, too. Winifred Gallagher discovered she had cancer so she viewed time with new perspective.

How do you overcome distractions to accomplish your daily work?

Cartoon source: Ming.tv