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Why thinking makes us feel tired

Thinking - Level 0

Why does thinking make us tired? Researchers looked into this. When we think a lot, our brain releases a chemical. It tells us that we must rest. People who spend a long time thinking will feel tired. Resting helps the brain to return to normal. A 20-minute power nap can make us feel totally refreshed.

The researchers tested 40 people. Twenty-four of these had difficult tasks looking at a computer screen. The other 16 people did a similar, but easier task. Everyone worked for six hours. Brain scans showed that the group with the difficult task had more of the chemical in their brain.

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Thinking - Level 1

Have you ever thought why thinking makes us tired? Researchers from Paris looked at why mental effort makes us tired. When we think a lot, our brain releases a chemical. Too much of this changes the brain. It tells the body that we must rest. People who spend a long time on a task are more likely to feel tired. Resting helps the brain to return to normal. A power nap is good for us. A 20-minute power nap can make us feel totally refreshed.

The researchers looked at the behaviour of 40 people. Twenty-four of these had challenging tasks. These included looking at a computer screen. The other 16 people did a similar, but easier task. Both teams worked for six hours. The researchers scanned the participants' brains. The group with the more difficult task had higher levels of the chemical in their brain. The study's author wants to find out about how the chemical levels are restored.

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Thinking - Level 2

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Have you ever thought why thinking makes us tired? A new study has found some answers. Researchers from the Paris Brain Institute looked at why mental effort makes us tired. When people think a lot, their brain releases a chemical called glutamate. Too much of this changes the brain's functions. It tells the body it is tired and that we must rest. People who spend six hours working on a task that requires thinking are more likely to feel tired. Resting helps the brain to return to normal. This explains why a power nap is good for us. A 20-minute power nap can make us feel totally refreshed.

The researchers looked at the behaviour of 40 participants. Twenty-four of these performed challenging tasks. These included looking at a computer screen and matching different letters. The other 16 people did a similar, but easier task. Both teams worked for six hours, and had two breaks. The researchers scanned the brains of the participants. The group with the more difficult task had higher levels of glutamate in their brain. Study author Antonius Wiehler said: "It would be great to find out more about how glutamate levels are restored."

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Thinking - Level 3

Have you ever wondered why thinking too much makes you tired? A new study has found out some answers to this question. Researchers from the Paris Brain Institute looked at why mental effort makes us tired. They found that when people think a lot, the brain releases a chemical called glutamate. Too much glutamate upsets the brain's functions. It means the brain tells the body it is tired and that it must rest. People who spend more than six hours working on a task that requires a lot of thought are more likely to feel tired. A period of rest allows the brain to return to normal. This explains why a power nap is good for us. A power nap can be as short as 20 minutes, but can make us feel totally refreshed.

The research team looked at the behaviour of 40 participants in their research. Twenty-four of these had to perform challenging tasks. These included looking at a computer screen and matching different letters that appeared. The other 16 participants did a similar, but easier task. Both teams worked for six hours, and had two ten-minute breaks. The researchers scanned the brains of the participants. They found that the group who had the more difficult task had higher levels of glutamate in their brain. Study author Antonius Wiehler said: "It would be great to find out more about how glutamate levels are restored." He asked: "Is sleep helpful? How long do breaks need to be to have a positive effect?"

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