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Week 6 is all about speed, Brain Speed that is!
Week 6 is all about speed, Brain Speed that is!
Let's get started with some exercises!
Brain Speed: The Basics
What is brain speed?
The time it takes to:
Capture information.
Process the information.
Respond to the information.
Brain HQ describes it as how effectively one can react to and remember events. (Brain Speed Exercises, 20010) Neuroscientist Geoffrey Kerchner defines it as the rate at which a human can take in a bit of new information, reach some judgment on it, and then formulate a response (Walker, 2014). Most experts, though, will agree that it is the speed of processing information.
When you read the word, see how fast can you say the color it is written.
Try it again in Spanish. Is it easier or more difficult?
Note: It could be easier to perceive the color of the word faster in a language you do not know because you are avoiding the extra step of trying to make sense of the word and then to say the color.
Why does brain speed slow?
Wear and tear of white matter of brain containing the axons of the neurons. With degradation, less efficiency in neuronal connections.
Fewer connections, Fewer neurotransmitters released (neurotransmitters affect processing).
Wearing down of myelin sheath (fatty covering of neurons).
Larger space between connections (synaptic space) means slower connection.
Less efficient frontal lobe responsible for organizing information.
White Matter & Neurons
Click on the link below to wantch a very interesting video on how th brain communicates:
Sensory input
There can be a number of other reasons for a slower processing speed. They can include:
Diseases such as diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure or other vascular conditions which wear away affect the blood vessels which feed the white blood cells;
A neurogenetive illness, such as Alzheimer’s;
Head trauma, such as a concussion; (Walker, 2014);
Fatigue;
Emotional struggles;
Depression and/or anxiety.
A decrease in processing speed can result from decreased sensory input, associated with hearing loss and reduced visual acuity which can also be associated with aging
Let's look at brain speed and how we can improve it
Take into consideration this practices to have a faster brain!
What can we do to improve our brain speed?
Brain training activities such as BrainHQ.
Create a routine for everyday living at home, social routines, etc.
Provide more time to complete tasks.
Encourage yourself and notice successes.
Develop a plan. Break it down into smaller chunks. Use graphics to help organize.
Reduce distractions and notice when you go off task.
Repeat directions and provide gentle reminders.
When possible, engage in skills which you have learned in an earlier time, such as cards or chess.
Physical activity
Especially aerobic exercise that strengthens axons.
Consume food linked to brain health.
Be open to experience
Keep learning. Learning a task builds new connections and mastering those tasks actually strengthens the connections in a way that makes the information travel across axons more quickly.
Value curiosity and creativity
Learn to play an Instrument. Develops stronger connections across different areas of the brain.
Keep & create social connections.
Stop smoking. Smokers more quickly lose brain volume.
Get high-quality sleep.
Reduce chronic stress.
Practice mindfulness & meditation.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a simple concept with powerful results. It has been tied to a decrease in stress, an improvement in mood, better sleep and more. Meditation is a technique that encourages mindfulness, working to increase calmness and relaxation, improving psychological balance and improving well-being. Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing, and not particularly reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on around us.
What is mindfulness meditation?
Meditation is a way to train your attention to achieve a state of calm concentration and positive emotions.
Mindfulness is one of the meditation techniques. It has two main parts: attention and acceptance.
Attention:
Attention involves turning the experiences to focus on what is happening in the moment. It directs awareness to your breath, your thoughts, the physical sensations in your body and the feelings that you are experiencing
Acceptance:
Acceptance involves observing the feelings and sensations without judgment. You merely note them and let them go.
In the brain...
How fast do we process information?
100 billion neurons X 200 firings per second X 1000 connections per firing
= 20 million billion calculations per second
The brain can make about 2 conscious calculations per second.
How accurate are these calculations? New research suggests that the brain is actually much quicker than this.
Brain HQ Exercises include Brain Speeeeeed
Improving the brain’s ability to see details in what is seen, heard, and felt is important in improving brain speed.
BrainHQ exercises are designed to increase the quantity of sensory information that the brain takes in and improves the quality of brain processing and recording of information. This creates a ripple effect in the brain, improving the higher functions of the brain (Brain HQ's Scientific Design Principles, 2010).
There are five exercises in the brain speed category. Let’s discuss why three of them might help (Merzenich, 2014):
The BHQ Connection: Now explore the Brain Speed exercises on the BrainHQ website: Since you are a beginner in the BHQ class, you may not have seen all of the brain speed exercises yet. That’s fine, but go ahead and read about them all when you have time. It will help you to understand the exercises better when you do start them.
Click here to find and read about all of the Brain Speed exercises. Remember, you may not be familiar with all of the exercises mentioned yet! That’s okay, learning more about them will help you to understand why they are important to your brain health.
Below is a list of the Brain Speed exercises. Check them out to learn more about these exercises, how they work, and why they are important.
Just click on the links to view: Hawk Eye PPt Visual Sweeps PPt Sound Sweeps PPt Eye for Detail PPt Fine Tuning PPt
A Few More Resources to Help Improve Brain Speed
View this amazing performance by clicking directly on the Ted Talk video (left) or here: The Transformative Power of Classical Music.
The Transformative Power of Classical Music
Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it - - and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.
Combine several things at once: Learning Line Dancing is a great way to learn new skills that will engage the body, the mind and improve processing speed in the brain. Click on this fun video (left), or check out any of the many others on YouTube, to get started.
If you prefer something less strenuous, how about a game of bridge? This is another Balboa Park activity, currently meeting virtually online. For more information about virtual games visit the San Diego Bridge Academy website.
Besides BrainHQ, there are other things you can try. For example, this is a yoga exercise which is used in schools to help children with learning disabilities focus. It is very simple, and takes less than 3 minutes. View this short video.
That's Fast!
This evidence suggests that training can improve the efficiency and speed of processing. By doing the BrainHQ exercisers, and particularly the brain speed exercises, we can potentially improve our processing speed.
Works Cited
13 Milliseconds: The Incredible Speed at Which Your Brain Can Identify an Image. (2014, January 1). Retrieved from PsyBlog: http://www.spring.org.uk/2014/01/13-milliseconds-the-incrediblespeed-at-which-your-brain-can-identify-an-image.php
Bergland, C. (2014, March 12). Eight Habits that Improve Cognitive Function. Retrieved from PsychologyToday: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201403/eighthabits-improve-cognitive-function
Brain HQ’s Scientific Design Principles. (2010). Retrieved from BrainHQ: http://www.brainhq.com/worldclass-science/brainhq-effective/science-brainhq
Brain Speed Exercises. (2010). Retrieved from Brain HQ: http://www.brainhq.com/why-brainhq/about-the-exercises/brainspeed
Butnik, S. (2013, May/June). Understanding, Diagnosing, and Coping with Slow Processing Speed. Retrieved from Davidson Insititute for Talent Development: http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10782.aspx
Gehrke, S. (June 2, 2021. How to increase your brain’s processing speed. https://www.wikihow.com/Increase-Your-Brain%27s-Processing-Speed
Meditation: In Depth. (2015, March). Retrieved from nccih.nih.gov: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm#hed4
Merzenich, D. M. (2014, March 12). Why Does Brain Speed Matter, and What Can I Do To Improve It? Retrieved from On the Brain: http://www.onthebrain.com/2014/03/brain-speed-matter-canimprove/
Potter, M. W. (2014, February). Detecting meaning is RSVP at 13 ms per picture. Attention, Perception and Psychophysics, pp. 270-279.
Slow Information Processing. (2010). Retrieved from Learnet.org:
Walker, H. (2014, March 1). What causes the Brain to have Slow Processing Speed. Retrieved from Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-causes-the-brain-to-haveslow-processing-speed-and-how-can-the-rate-be-improved/
What is processing Speed. (2010). Retrieved from HeadStrong Cognitive Fitness: http://www.headstrongbrain.com/FAQ/~Q5-182/What_is_processing_Speed
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