The World's Best Book Summaries
Do you have trouble falling asleep? What is sleep debt, and how can you conquer it? According to Dr. John Medina in Brain Rules, sleep debt is the amount of sleep you lose versus the amount your body needs. Say you need eight hours of sleep, but you only got six. You have two hours of debt sleep, and it consistently builds up the more sleep you lose. Learn more on what sleep debt is, and a few techniques to get a good amount of sleep.
Do you feel consistently overwhelmed or pressured? What are the effects that long-term stress can leave on your life? Long-term stress, otherwise known as chronic stress, is the constant feeling of stress over a long period of time. Not only does this type of stress cause physical effects on your body, but it can leave mental effects as well. Your learning skills and memory can be negatively impacted by the amount of stress you are experiencing. Read on to learn more about long-term stress and how it affects your mentality.
How should a believer deal with anxiety? What do birds teach us about spiritual anxiety relief? Christian author Joyce Meyer argues that, if our minds are full of anxiety and worry, it’s a sign we’re under attack from the devil, who uses anxiety and worry to torment us and consume our thoughts with negativity. According to Meyer, worry and anxiety are unproductive emotions that rob us of the present moment, which is a gift from God. She says that birds offer a practical lesson for us all. Keep reading for Meyer’s perspectives on anxiety.
What are the spiritual dangers that accompany a lack of focus? How does the devil use distractions to distance you from God? The author of The Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer, contends that our minds are a spiritual battlefield. An unfocused mind is a sign that we’re under attack by the devil. She explains why our minds wander and how the devil is behind these distractions. Read more to understand Meyer’s argument.
Are you stressed out? What are the major signs of stress at work and home that you should look out for? In his book, Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina describes work and home as the two environments people are most likely to experience signs of stress. At work and home, stress can make you lose sleep and cause damage to your relationships. Luckily, there are ways to reduce this stress. Here are the indications of stress at work or home and how to avoid them, according to Medina.
Do you work out until exhaustion? How do you avoid exercise burnout? According to Joshua Waitzkin, the key to avoiding training burnout is to build a rhythm of exertion and relaxation. Not only does alternating between effort and rest help prevent overexertion and injury, but it also increases performance. Here’s how balancing exertion and rest can help prevent exercise burnout.
Do you know what sense you use the most? Why is vision the most important sense? Dr. John Medina argues that vision is the most important human sense because it takes up half the brain to process visual information. Vision also dominates the other four senses because it shapes how you see the world. Here’s Medina’s explanation for what the most important sense is, and why it’s vision.
How do you continue training with an injury? How can you use your injury as an opportunity to grow? Skipping training to let your body heal from an injury is frustrating. While many choose to see injuries as setbacks, you can choose to see them as opportunities to grow. American tai chi champion Josh Waitzkin says you should keep training through injury but only practice psychological aspects of your skill. Here’s why you shouldn’t stop training when injured.
How does stress affect the body? What important aspects of everyday life are influenced by stress? In his book Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina writes that stress can have a profound impact on the way you live your life. Not only does stress affect the body, but it can leave marks on your mental health and cognitive abilities as well. Here are the health effects that stress can create on the body and mind.
Why are sleep and the brain often grouped together in science? Why is the brain most affected by sleep? In his book Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina emphasizes sleep as one of the main components of keeping the brain active and healthy. In Rule 3 of his guide to how brains truly work, he explains the importance of sleep and the brain’s reaction to it. Let’s look at how the brain can benefit from sleep, and the negative effects of lacking sleep.