Like billions of working people across the planet, you may have extended your day at the office yesterday, like countless times before. And chances are you will be doing the same today after you read this. We have become so conditioned to putting ourselves secondary to industriousness and productivity that it is almost second-nature to us, with very little consideration to what this does to our wellbeing.
While putting ourselves on the hamster-wheel everyday may seem like a necessary sacrifice for success, mounting scientific evidence shows that both excessive work and insufficient sleep have profound impacts on the brain. These effects can impair cognitive function, emotional regulation, memory, and even long-term adverse brain health.
The Brain on Overdrive
We have long suspected that overworking our bodies and brains is detrimental to our health in the long run but a new study seems to suggest the perniciousness runs even deeper than we previously knew. A recent study in South Korea (Korean Society of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 2023) revealed worrying data of an insidious kind – structural alterations in the brains of individuals clocking more than 52 hours per week (the number of hours are very specific because it reflects South Korea’s current work week which consists 40 hours of regularised work and 12 hours of overtime).
What we do not yet know is whether similar effects may be recorded in individuals working lesser hours. Studies specific to the Malaysian population will need to be done for us to be able to tell what the threshold is before anatomical changes start to occur in the brains of our workforce. But of course, that is going to require interested parties to undertake such labour-intensive research which will take considerable time to generate the required data.
In the meantime, here are things you ought to know to understand the toll that is wrought on the brain when we overtax it.
Cognitive Overload
Decision fatigue: Constant decision-making reduces the brain’s ability to make rational choices as the day progresses.
Reduced creativity: Overwork narrows focus, making it harder to think creatively and solve problems innovatively.
Mental lethargy: Prolonged periods of concentration without rest strains cognitive resources, leading to slower reaction times and impaired judgment.
Structural and Functional Brain Changes
Prefrontal cortex impairment: The area responsible for executive functions like planning, attention, and impulse control show reduced activity with chronic overwork.
Hippocampal shrinkage: Associated with memory and learning, the hippocampus may shrink due to prolonged stress, which often accompanies overwork.
Emotional and Psychological Impact
Increased risk of anxiety and depression: Overwork is closely linked to higher levels of stress hormones, primarily adrenaline and cortisol. While some of these are good some of the time in response to everyday stress, constant secretion into the bloodstream means that these stress hormones do not get to reset to a baseline which can disrupt mood regulation and overwhelm the body, contributing to organ damage and diseases
Burnout syndrome: Characterised by emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and a reduced sense of accomplishment, burnout is a neurological and psychological consequence of prolonged work stress.
The Sleep-Deprived Brain
Caution: some readers may find the following elaboration on animal testing distressing, in which case you may skip this entire section and proceed to the next.
Our interest in understanding sleep goes back a long way – one of the earliest documentations on sleep deprivation was an experimental study initiated by Russian physician and scientist, Marie de Manacéine in 1894. She studied sleep-deprived puppies kept in constant activity and reported that the complete absence of sleep was fatal in just a few days, pointing out that the most severe lesions occurred in the brain.
In 1898, Italian physiologists Lamberto Daddi and Giulio Tarozzi also kept dogs awake by walking them – the animals started dying after 9 days. Degenerative alterations were observed in the spinal ganglia, the cerebellum, and the frontal cortex. Daddi ascribed these changes to a state of autointoxication of the brain during insomnia.
The same year, a psychiatrist, Cesare Agostini, interested in the psychic phenomena caused by prolonged insomnia in humans, deprived dogs of sleep by keeping them in a cage in order to avoid fatigue. The dogs survived only about 2 weeks, and degenerative changes were observed in their brains.
In spite of the absence of adequate controls, these pioneering studies at the end of the 19th century represented the first experimental attempts to relate sleep with neural centres and suggested that not only is sleep a vital function for survival, the brain may also be impacted by insomnia.
We know today that sleep deprivation and inadequate sleep can have serious consequences for human health and our wellbeing. It can lead to a variety of physical and mental health problems affecting focus and attention, learning, decision-making and cognitive functioning. Additionally, sleep deprivation can impact our mood, emotions and even increase the risk of certain diseases.
Cognitive Impairment
Memory consolidation: Sleep, especially the deep kind aided by healthy REM stages, is critical for transferring short-term memories to long-term storage.
Impaired attention and focus: Sleep loss reduces alertness and hampers the ability to concentrate.
Slower processing speed: Tasks take longer to complete and error rates increase when the brain is sleep-deprived.
Neurological Consequences
Synaptic pruning disruption: Sleep plays a role in clearing unused neural connections. Lack of sleep leads to cluttered, inefficient brain communication.
Amyloid-beta accumulation: Sleep helps clear this toxic protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease whereas chronic sleep deprivation may increase its buildup.
Emotional Instability
Heightened amygdala activity: The brain’s emotional centre becomes more reactive, making people more prone to anger, fear and sadness.
Reduced prefrontal regulation: Sleep deprivation hampers the brain's ability to manage emotional responses, leading to impulsivity and poor judgment.
Give your Brain a Break
While most of us either have to continue working the long hours because we have commitments to meet or just wish to continue being productive, there are merits in tempering our diligence with some interludes. Here's why breaks are good for our brains:
Enhanced Memory and Learning:
Breaks allow the brain to consolidate and replay compressed memories, aiding in the learning, retention and synergy of new information.
Improved Focus and Concentration:
Breathing throughout the day help the brain relax and think differently, which can boost focus and concentration when we return to work.
Boosted Creativity:
Stepping away from tasks allows the brain to explore new ideas and make new neural connections, which can lead to increased creativity and problem-solving abilities.
Reduced Stress and Burnout:
Recess helps to reduce stress, which in turn boosts productivity thereby impacting our mental and physical health positively.
Curated Breaks for the Brain
The million-dollar question then is how we manage these intermissions and what can they look like. Some of these suggestions have appeared in previous articles
1. Nature can have a profound impact on our mental, physical, and emotional well-being. You can use the 20-5-3 rule: a science-backed formula developed by neuroscientist Rachel Hopman-Droste. This straightforward guide aims to optimize our outdoor experiences and help us make the most of nature’s restorative powers. In a nutshell, we are encouraged to spend:
20 minutes in a local park three days a week
5 hours in a nature preserve or similar setting each month
3 days immersed in rural or rustic spaces once a year
2. Practice mindfulness by developing awareness. Incidentally, I am not a fan of this word ‘Mindfulness’ because of how often it’s been bandied about as an almost cure-all for everything and how often it is used in the wrong context. So, let me simplify it. It just means - be AWARE of what is happening with you and around you in the present moment at work & asking yourself – “is there anything I can do to change what is happening?”
If your answer is in the affirmative, then do what you can within your capacity. If your answer is “No”, then accept that there are limits to your reach and effectiveness in doing your job. Being aware of our own place in the big scheme of things is very liberating. It keeps our apathy in check and at the same time frees us from getting caught up in the hype of our own celebrity and self-importance.
3. Take micro-breaks at your workstation by indulging in some nature therapy at your table. If that is the best that you can do at that moment, then even a short lull in work activity is good for the brain. Contact with nature has been proposed as a solution to achieve physiological relaxation and stress recovery; and studies investigating the visual effects of nature have been at the forefront of this research field.
In a systematic review (1Center for Environment, (H.J.), & (C.S.), 2019) which examined 37 current peer-reviewed articles regarding the physiological effects of visual stimulation from elements or representations of nature in an indoor setting (the majority of the studies used display stimuli, such as photos, 3D images, virtual reality and videos of natural landscapes) confirmed that viewing natural scenery led to more relaxed body responses - studies that used real nature stimuli reported that visual contact with flowers, green plants, and wooden materials had positive effects on cerebral and autonomic nervous activities.
4. Cultivate better sleep hygiene. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule where possible. Avoid screens and stimulants before bed. Instead, develop a relaxing bed-time routine. Create a calm and quiet sleep environment. Take away distractions like your phone. Get an alarm clock if needed. If you must use your phone, put it on airplane mode so that it is not pinging away through the night. Minimize light in your room. Studies show that even a little exposure to light interferes with melatonin which is essential for sleep. If you have the luxury in your office, try power naps. I swear by them! 20 minutes and I am refreshed and recharged.
Conclusion
Whether windows of opportunity happen naturally or have to be curated by us to some extent, science tells us that taking breaks is beneficial for the brain, it allows for cognitive rest, improves focus, enhances memory, and preserves overall mental wellbeing. Respite helps to reduce stress, prevent burnout, and even boost creativity.
In drawing things to a close, please remember that the brain is remarkably resilient, but it is not invincible. While ambition and hard work are valuable traits to have, they must be balanced with respite and sleep to maintain our mental sharpness and emotional wellbeing. Both overwork and sleep deprivation alter brain function and structure in ways that can be detrimental to long-term health. Investing in balance is not a luxury, it's a necessity for sustainable success and a healthy mind.
"Whole life has a balance. Everything will be better."
Mr Miyagi in The Karate Kid (1984)
