Brain doping among the young and how to counterfeit (part 2)

I wrote about the trend that young people are turning to smart drugs to improve their grades and associated risks.

Fortunately there's a lot one can do without drugs.

Sleep

Rest is enough for the body, but the brain needs sleep for normal functioning and to turn newly learned skills into long term storage.

Enough sleep, especially for the young, prior to a test is more important than the actual practicing for a test. So it may be good advice not to stay up all night reading for next day's exam but rather have an early night.

School children and teenagers need a lot of sleep, but school starts early in the morning in most countries. There are studies showing that a later school start improves their performance.

Play
Allow the young plenty of playtime, free time, and pure down time.

The brain needs different kinds of rest. Sleeping is also not just sleeping, but there are many phases (the dreaming rapid eye movement (REM) phase, and the non-REM phases; with alpha activity, theta activity and the non-REM slow wave phase with delta activity). 

Similarly wake time should consist of sometimes strenuous exercise and also different kinds of free-flowing time.

Outdoors time
Play and exercise outdoors, preferably in the sun 

Outdoor play is not only for the oxygen, which the human brain consumes like a sponge (an astonishing 25% of the overall oxygen consumption), but the outdoors is bigger than the largest villa; and it is real. 

It is the place where we have been designed to be. Evolution hasn't yet caught up with houses and apartments. 

Playing with friends makes it even better, we are a social species and therefore human-to-human interaction is essential for our brain development and maintenance.

Sun is important not just for natural production of vitamin D but also for the light itself (outdoors on a cloudy day gives more light than any in-house artificial lighting). Day-time light exposure stabilizes the day-night rhythm and protects from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Meditation

Mmmm-Meditation, this will need several stand-alone blogs, there is so much to be said. 

But focusing on young people and learning; a study shows that only 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation per day improves academic performance.

Meditation practice also helps young people to tame their brain. This is most welcome as the brains of the young are frequently attacked by growth- and hormonal surges, resulting in all sorts of unwanted behaviour, as any teen- or pre-teen parent can attest. 

For children and teens with basic English knowledge, there is a guided web- and app-based mindfulness meditation available, called Smiling Mind.

Celebrate
Be successful and celebrate your successes.

There is no good learning without the fun component, or positive feedback. The human brain is wired for reward (this is how street drugs work). 

Tell your child when you notice improvement, no matter how small, and make sure to celebrate. Already a simple celebration can work wonders, for example a healthy brain-food snack, some chewing gum (oh yes, keep reading!) or out-door games.

Snacking! 

To maintain blood sugar levels, sugar is brain fuel. Use complex carbs to keep steady levels. More about nutrition in a separate post.

Boredom

Might seem odd in this context but it is necessary albeit painful for the parents to ensure children experience enough boredom and that they learn to cope with it. Again, a skill that will prove helpful in grown-up life.

Hands-on learning opportunities

Children and the young are more practical, until bogged down with a theoretical society. Let them learn the hard way, putting their hands in the mud.

Smell the roses
Literally. 
Persons exposed to the smell of rose-oil during practice and then again during slow-wave sleep (the deepest part),  will learn better.
This rosy smell method helps newly learned things to be transferred to long term memory.

Rosemary works too, but in a different way; on the so-called prospective memory. Sniffing rosemary may help remember future tasks, such as doing certain homework prior to a specific date.

Chewing gum
Let your teenager chew that gum (as long as it is non-sugar -and preferably xylitol sweetened). Gum chewing increases alertness and may increase the speed of information processing in the brain.

Part 3 in the brain doping series will be about nutrition and child-safe supplements.