Thinking can tire you out more if fatigued

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Thinking can tire you out more if fatigued

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Health/2008/02/11/thinking_can_tire_you_o

ut_more_if_fatigued/9054/

The brain has to work harder to do the same amount of thinking when

tired, so everyone should try for enough sleep, a U.S. expert

advises.

Philip Gehrman of the University of the Sciences Penn Sleep Center in

Philadelphia says when a person is tired, thinking requires a lot

more resources and people get fatigued more quickly as a result.

Gehrman advises to avoid excessive napping and try to keep a

consistent schedule for going to bed and waking up that allows the

body to develop a natural rhythm.

Other ways to achieve " sleep hygiene " that can lead to better

thinking, Gehrman advises to:

-- Stop drinking caffeine after lunch because caffeine can linger in

the body for 10 to 12 hours.

-- Avoid alcohol because it may help a person fall asleep, but it

results in a light stage of sleep with poor quality that can lead to

not feeling rested.

-- Have a wind-down period before going to bed -- doing relaxing

things that don't require a lot of mental energy.

-- And have a bedroom that is only used for sleeping to help the

brain " think " sleep.