In today’s fast-paced world, where multitasking and non-stop productivity often feel like the norms, the concept of taking breaks can seem counterintuitive. However, research and practical experience both suggest that strategic breaks can significantly enhance cognitive wellbeing and improve study effectiveness. Let’s delve into why breaks matter, how they work, and how to implement them for maximum benefit.
The Science Behind Breaks
Cognitive Load and Mental Fatigue
When you engage in a prolonged period of study or intense mental activity, your brain accumulates cognitive load. Cognitive load refers to the amount of working memory resources required to complete a task. As this load increases, mental fatigue sets in, making it harder to focus and process information. Breaks help manage and reduce cognitive load, allowing your brain to reset and function more effectively.
The Role of the Default Mode Network
The brain operates using different networks depending on the task at hand. The Default Mode Network (DMN) becomes active when you're not focused on the outside world, such as during daydreaming or resting. Studies have shown that this network plays a crucial role in creativity and problem-solving. Taking breaks can activate the DMN, giving your brain the chance to process information subconsciously and generate new ideas.
Neuroplasticity and Learning
Breaks also support neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. By interspersing study sessions with breaks, you allow your brain to consolidate and integrate new information. This can enhance long-term retention and understanding of the material.
Types of Breaks and Their Benefits
Short Breaks
The Pomodoro Technique is a popular method for incorporating short breaks into study sessions. This technique involves working for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break. Research suggests that short breaks can help maintain focus and prevent burnout by keeping mental energy levels consistent.
Benefits:
Increased Focus: Short breaks help prevent cognitive overload and keep you engaged in the task.
Enhanced Productivity: Frequent breaks can help maintain high levels of productivity and efficiency.
Long Breaks
Longer breaks, such as a lunch break or a 30-minute walk, offer deeper cognitive and physical benefits. These breaks allow you to fully disengage from your work and return with renewed energy and focus.
Benefits:
Improved Memory: Longer breaks can aid in memory consolidation, helping to solidify the information you've learned.
Reduced Stress: Taking extended breaks allows for relaxation and stress reduction, contributing to overall cognitive wellbeing.
Active Breaks
Engaging in physical activities during breaks, such as stretching, walking, or exercising, can enhance both mental and physical health. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which can improve cognitive function and mood.
Benefits:
Enhanced Cognitive Function: Physical activity stimulates the production of neurochemicals that support cognitive function.
Mood Improvement: Exercise can release endorphins, improving your mood and reducing anxiety.
Mindful Breaks
Mindfulness practices, such as meditation or deep-breathing exercises, can be integrated into your breaks to promote mental clarity and reduce stress. These practices help calm the mind and enhance focus when you return to studying.
Benefits:
Stress Reduction: Mindfulness can lower stress levels and promote relaxation.
Improved Focus: Regular mindfulness practice can improve attention and concentration.
Implementing Effective Break Strategies
Plan Your Breaks
To make the most of your breaks, plan them strategically. Use techniques like the Pomodoro Technique to structure your study sessions and incorporate breaks. Make sure to schedule longer breaks throughout the day to avoid prolonged periods of uninterrupted work.
Choose Break Activities Wisely
Select break activities that truly refresh and rejuvenate you. This might include physical exercise, a short walk, a relaxing hobby, or mindfulness practices. Avoid activities that can lead to distractions or prolong your break, such as browsing social media.
Listen to Your Body and Mind
Pay attention to signs of mental fatigue or stress. If you find your focus waning, it might be time for a break. Conversely, if you’re deeply engaged and feel productive, it might be beneficial to extend your study session before taking a break.
Create a Break Routine
Establishing a routine for breaks can help make them a regular part of your study habits. Consistency in taking breaks helps train your brain to expect them, leading to better overall productivity and cognitive wellbeing.
The Takeaway
Incorporating breaks into your study routine is not a luxury but a necessity for maintaining cognitive wellbeing and enhancing study effectiveness. By understanding the science behind breaks and implementing effective strategies, you can improve focus, reduce stress, and boost overall productivity. Remember, taking a step back is often the best way to move forward effectively. So next time you dive into a study session, make sure to give yourself permission to take regular, purposeful breaks—they’re an investment in your success.
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Regular breaks throughout the school day—from short brain breaks in the classroom to the longer break of recess—are not simply downtime for students. Such breaks increase their productivity and provide them with opportunities to develop creativity and social skills.
Students, particularly young ones, often struggle with staying focused for long periods of time. In a 2016 study, psychologist Karrie Godwin and a team of researchers measured how attentive elementary students were during class, and discovered that they spent over a quarter of the time distracted, unable to focus on the teacher or the current task. Shorter lessons, however, kept student attention high: Teachers found it more effective to give several 10-minute lessons instead of fewer 30-minute ones.
And there are more benefits to downtime than increased attention: It decreases stress, increases productivity, boosts brain function, and provides opportunities for children to learn social skills.
Reducing Stress, Increasing Productivity
Recent research shows that our brains aren’t idle when we take breaks—they’re hard at work processing memories and helping us make sense of what we experience. In a groundbreaking 2012 study, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang and her colleagues at USC and MIT used an fMRI scanner to examine neural activity during the brain’s “default mode”—a state of rest that’s usually associated with taking a break or letting our minds wander. In this state, the brain is still highly active, with a different set of regions lighting up than when we’re focused on the outside world.
Further experiments showed that this default mode is crucial for consolidating memories, reflecting on past experiences, and planning for the future—in other words, it helps shape how we make sense of our lives. Breaks keep our brains healthy and play a key role in cognitive abilities such as reading comprehension and divergent thinking (the ability to generate and make sense of novel ideas). “Rest is indeed not idleness, nor is it a wasted opportunity for productivity,” Immordino-Yang and her colleagues write.
So breaks are an essential part of learning. But the benefits extend beyond the psychological well-being of students. Particularly for younger students, regular breaks throughout the school day can be an effective way to reduce disruptive behavior. In a series of recent studies, short physical activity breaks in the classroom improved students’ behavior, increasing the effort they put into their activities as well as their ability to stay on task.
Both students and teachers benefit from using unstructured breaks to reduce stress. According to the American Psychological Association, stress can have serious health consequences, increasing someone’s chances of serious conditions such as heart disease and depression. The APA recommends frequent breaks, in addition to other activities such as exercise and mediation.
Boosting Brain Function
Exercise breaks—whether short activities in the classroom or recess—help promote physical fitness, which in turn boosts brain health. In 2013, the National Academy of Medicine (then called the Institute of Medicine) published a major report on the benefits of physical activity on children’s cognitive development and academic success.
At the time, less than half of U.S. students were meeting the federal guideline of 60 minutes of daily exercise. Bringing together experts across a range of fields, the report made the case for why regular exercise crucially belongs in schools: It not only provides physical health benefits to students but also enhances their cognitive functioning, leading to higher academic performance.
How does exercise improve learning? Engaging in physical activity increases blood flow and oxygenation in the brain, boosting neural connectivity and stimulating nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, the center of learning and memory. So exercise actually changes the structure of our brains, with a number of benefits: improved attention and memory, increased brain activity and cognitive function, and enhanced mood and ability to cope with stress.
Decades of research show that physically active children consistently outperform their inactive peers academically on both a short- and long-term basis.
Developing Social Skills
Longer breaks—such as recess or playtime—provide opportunities for children to learn important life skills. Research shows that when children play together, they learn how to take turns, resolve conflicts, and solve problems. They also learn how to manage their own emotions and behavior—fundamental skills for life. So dropping recess is a mistake, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics: Recess is a “crucial and necessary component of a child’s development,” and sacrificing it for more academics is counterproductive.
Unstructured playtime provides an opportunity for imaginary and creative play and allows children to practice divergent thinking. They benefit from the freedom to explore new ideas without fear of failure or the stress of grades, and regular exposure to new experiences can also increase their cognitive flexibility, preparing them for academic challenges.
Incorporating Breaks in Your Classroom
Several breaks throughout the day can help students stay focused:
If students are getting rowdy or bored, a few moments of exercise in the classroom can reset their attention.
Use brain breaks—short activities that stimulate curiosity—to boost students’ motivation and improve their mood.
Set aside time during class for creativity—makerspaces, Genius Hour, and art projects can help boost kids’ imaginations.
While breaks can help reset student focus, a useful alternative—especially for older students—is to switch teaching strategies throughout a lesson: Try having students team up on a think-pair-share activity or work in groups, spend a few minutes reviewing concepts, or give a low-stakes practice test at the end of a lesson. These activities can help break up the monotony of a long lesson, and as a bonus, boost students’ memory.
