Brain Breaks: Why Brain Breaks

A popular 2018 article, Why You Need to Take More Breaks (And How To Do It),  covers the following questions

1. “Taking breaks is good for my productivity… Really?!”
2. “Why is it important to take breaks at work?”
3. “How does taking a break affect my brain?”
4. “What are the most important benefits of taking a break at work?”
5. “Does Taking a Break Help Me Make Better Decisions?”
6. “How does taking a break affect creativity?”
7. “How will breaks affect my ability to focus?”
8. “How will taking a break affect my memory?”
9. “How do breaks help me reach my goals?”
10. “How often should I take a break?”
11. “How long should my break be?”
12. “What should I do during my break?”
13. “Should I browse the internet during my breaks?”
14. “How much should I move during my break?”
15. “Should I workout during my break?”
16. “Should I take a nap during my break?”
17. “Should I try to meditate on my break?”
18. “(What) Should I eat and drink during my break?”
19. “Should I take a coffee break?”
20. “So what are the best activities to do during my break?”
21. “I feel guilty about taking breaks. What should I do?”
22. “What if I don’t have time to take a break?”
23. “What if I can’t take a break right now?”
24. “How can I make breaks a regular part of my routine?”
25. “What tools can I use to help me take breaks?”

Southard, K. J., Rhoades, J. L., Whitehead, J. R., & Walch, T. J. (2018). A Signage Intervention Decreases Inactive Study Breaks in College Students. American Journal of Health Studies, 33(1), 52–60.

"In summary, this is a novel study that shows the need for breaking up prolonged periods of sedentary time in college students to promote health benefits. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to observe college student study behaviors rather than rely on self-report. Overall, there is a need for active study breaks to increase academic performance, improve physical well-being, relieve stress, improve mood, and increase productivity."

Steinborn, M. B., & Huestegge, L. (2016). A Walk Down the Lane Gives Wings to Your Brain. Restorative Benefits of Rest Breaks on Cognition and Self-Control. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 30(5), 795–805. https://doi-org.brockport.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/acp.3255

"The results indicate that while rest is generally beneficial for performance, these benefits are similar for active and passive rest."

Lim, J., & Kwok, K. (2015). The Effects of Varying Break Length on Attention and Time on Task. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society, 58(3), 472-481. doi:10.1177/0018720815617395

"Results:  Improvements in reaction time were significantly positively associated with length of the rest break."

Randolph, S. A., MSN, RN. (2016). The Importance of Employee Breaks. Workplace Health & Safety, 344. doi:10.1177/2165079916653416

"The occupational and environmental health nurse should encourage workers to take work breaks. Breaks enable all workers to perform at their best."

Lim, J., Lo, J. C., & Chee, M. W. L. (2017). Assessing the benefits of napping and short rest breaks on processing speed in sleep-restricted adolescents. Journal of Sleep Research, 26(2), 219–226. https://doi-org.brockport.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/jsr.12497

"Our results indicate that napping partially reverses the detrimental effects of sleep restriction on processing speed. However, rest breaks have a greater effect as a countermeasure against poor performance when sleep pressure is higher. These data add to the growing body of evidence showing the importance of sleep for good cognitive functioning in adolescents, and suggest that more frequent rest breaks might be important in situations where sleep loss is unavoidable."

Lee, E., & Kim, Y. (2019). Effect of university students’ sedentary behavior on stress, anxiety, and depression. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 55(2), 164–169. https://doi-org.brockport.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/ppc.12296

"As sitting hours increased, university students’ stress, anxiety, and depression significantly increased despite controlling for sex, economic level,body mass index, underlying disease, and health self-management.

Practical Implications: Intervention programs that reduce sedentary behavior and improve physical activity and mental health for university students are necessary."

Largo-Wight, E., Wlyudka, P. S., Merten, J. W., & Cuvelier, E. A. (2017). Effectiveness and feasibility of a 10-minute employee stress intervention: Outdoor Booster Break. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 32(3), 159–171. https://doi-org.brockport.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/15555240.2017.1335211

"This pilot study was designed to test the feasibility and efficacy of a daily outdoor work break (Outdoor Booster Break) compared to a daily indoor break.  Taking a work break appears to have stress-reducing benefits, but the Outdoor Booster Break reduced stress significantly more than an indoor break."

Rachel E. Maddux, Daiva Daukantaité & Una Tellhed (2018) The effects of yoga on stress and psychological health among employees: an 8- and 16-week intervention study, Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 31:2, 121-134, DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2017.1405261

"Results: Significant reductions in stress and all psychological health measures were found within the Yoga group over 16 weeks. When compared to the control group, yoga practitioners showed significant decreases in stress, anxiety, and general psychological health, and significant increases in well-being. The group who did not practice yoga showed significant decreases in stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia after they crossed over and practiced yoga for 8 weeks."