Early Exam: Skip Breakfast?
Thursday, December 7, 2006 by HackCollege I've always been told to get a good night's rest and to start my day off with a good, balanced breakfast. However, over at Psychology Today, new research may support the idea that an empty stomach might actually enhance short-term learning:
Hunger Feeds the Brain
Cramming for a test? You may want to postpone dinner. Ghrelin, a hunger hormone produced by empty stomachs, enhances learning in the short term, at least in rats. Ghrelin speeds communication in the hippocampus, a brain region associated with spatial memory. The effect may have helped our human ancestors hunt and forage on while famished. So should you fast before strenuous mental activities? It's definitely a strategy worth considering, says Yale University researcher Tamas Horvath.
Hmmmm, I wonder if Ghrelin is a part of my daily vitamin....
Reader Comments (3)
I think I'll stick to caffeine-ing it up and stuffing my face in the morning. Oh, the simple pleasures in life.
[...] Early Exam: Breakfast or No Breakfast? [HackCollege] [...]
Was just given a can of batter blaster by my dad. Says he tried them and they were great and they were so easy he thought of me. I think that was some sort of insult but whatever.
It's organic pancakes in a can. I will try this. But first I will need to buy a frying pan ... Dad? Little help?
;)