The effect of daily habits

Task Discussion

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  Maria Droujkova   June 20, 2011, 4:18 p.m.

  I found your thought about exercise as the body managing scarse resources quite interesting. That explains something funny I noticed. When I am learning a new exercise, I can only do a few repetitions. Yet the next day, I can usually do about twice as many - without any possibility of strength of stamina gain in-between. It feels like the body is learning something, and it takes it some pause to process the new knowledge. It's the same effect as learning a new math concept, of which there is a Russian saying, "You need to sleep with any big idea you meet." Which means you understand the idea better next day.

• 
  Colin Chambers   June 22, 2011, 5:06 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Maria Droujkova   June 20, 2011, 4:18 p.m.

  I've always noticed the same thing. I finally have an explanation for that in cholesterol improves memory and learning. I can't say this is proven. It's still an equivocal finding but the role of sleep in learning is well established. During sleep your brain really does seem to prune irrelevant connections and strength useful ones. 

  In general I find that every day, particularly during sleep your body tidies up through it's remodelling process. For example human growth hormone is rasied during certain parts of sleep.