Eat. Sleep. Play. Code.

Thoughts on how our lifestyle has an impact on our craft. Presented at the #memtech Super User Group (http://www.meetup.com/memphis-technology-user-groups/events/187330392/)

Transcript

1. Eat. Sleep. Play. Code. How does our lifestyle affect our craft? Brad Montgomery twitter.com/bkmontgomery
2. Assumption: everything's connected Image: Ohm by Aimee Ray
3. What does! Science say? Image: Teaching Chemistry by starmanseries
4. Eat The food we eat affects our work Image: Street Food and Blue Wall by Louis Vest
5. Image: The Wall of Fog by Trey Ratcliff
6. Most research: prenatal/early development or cognitive decline with aging Image: old man grumbling ... by Dietmar Temps
7. The Journal of Physiology Sugar highs and lows: the impact of diet on cognitive function Jill N. Barnes and Michael J. Joyner (2012) “...data on the effects of diet on learning, memory and cognition are scarce..”
8. ...unhealthy diet (high fructose intake, low omega-3 fatty acids) was associated with lower cognitive scores and insulin resistance… The Journal of Physiology Agrawal R & Gomez-Pinilla F (2012).
9. Image: Laura's rat by Michelle Tribe In Rats.
10. A healthy diet during middle age is associated with better cognitive function later in life. The Journal of Nutrition Kesse-Guyot E, Andreeva VA, Jeandel C, Ferry M, Hercberg S & Galan P (2012) Image: Smile by Alan Cleaver
11. neu·ro·trans·mit·ter! /ˌn(y)o͝orōˈtranzmitər/ Image: human brain on white background by _DJ_ ! …a messenger of neurologic information from one cell to another.
12. “Most neurotransmitters are made from amino acids obtained from the protein in food you consume.”
13. Dopamine.! ! Motivation & a Sense of readiness to meet life's challenges. ! Depleted by: stress, lack of sleep, alcohol, caffeine, & sugar. ! Antioxidants: Fruits & Vegetables
14. Acetylcholine! ! Primary chemical carrier of thought and memory; Partly responsible for concentration and focus. ! Created from B-vitamins (lecithin): egg yolks, wheat germ, soybeans, organ meats, and whole wheat products.
15. Norepinephrine (aka noradrenalin)! ! Motivation, Alertness, and Concentration. Formation of new memories & transfer to long- term storage. ! Created from amino acids & vitamins found in almonds, avocados, bananas, dairy products, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds.
16. Image: Banana - Isolated by robin_24
17. Serotonin! ! The calming neurotransmitter. Promotes contentment & normal sleep. ! Created from tryptophan & vitamins found in brown rice, cottage cheese, meat, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
18. Image: Our Little Turkey by Bev Currie
19. You are what you eat. Image: Dum Dum DUUUUUUUM! by Joe Philipson
20. Sleep Image: 54/365 by Marc
21. Lack of sleep makes you Grumpy Image: Grumpy Cat by Scott Beale
22. Lack of! sleep kills Creativity Image: NOV 2011 305 by Lord Jim
23. …extensive literature now indicates that sleep supports … cognitive and emotional brain processes. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences The Role of Sleep in Cognition and Emotion Walker MP (2009)
24. Sleep has been implicated in both the encoding and consolidation of memory. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences The Role of Sleep in Cognition and Emotion Walker MP (2009)
25. A (2004) study found: ! 1. Learning -> activity in the hippocampus 2. Deep Sleep -> more activity in the hippocampus 3. This brain activity during sleep is proportional to “next day task improvement”. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences The Role of Sleep in Cognition and Emotion Walker MP (2009)
26. Another (2004) study found: ! Given a Problem: Sleeping after exposure to the problem therefore more than doubled the likelihood of solving it the next day. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences The Role of Sleep in Cognition and Emotion Walker MP (2009)
27. The goal of sleep may be to … form the basis of generalized knowledge and creativity. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences The Role of Sleep in Cognition and Emotion Walker MP (2009)
28. Image: By El Carlos via Wikimedia Commons Sleep: where ! Learning is ! Assimilated
29. Play Call it exercise if you must Image: [108/365] Ill-advised by Pascal
30. Play (exercise) is good for you. Image: Life And Limb by JD Hancock
31. “Dozens of studies now show that aerobic exercise can increase the size of critical brain structures and improve cognition in children and older adults” 2013 Article from the University of Illinois http://news.illinois.edu/news/13/0218activity_cognition_ArtKramer.html
32. Creative potential is boosted by moderate aerobic exercise. ! Both immediately after and two hours later (residual effects). Creativity Research Journal Aerobic Exercise and Creative Potential: Immediate and Residual Effects Blanchette, Ramocki, O'del, and Casey (2005),
33. “Individual instances of exercise are unlikely to be very influential, but long-term exercise programs producing fitness gains are more likely to impact cognitive functioning” Creativity Research Journal Aerobic Exercise and Creative Potential: Immediate and Residual Effects Blanchette, Ramocki, O'del, and Casey (2005),
34. Exercise can mean as little as walking 3 times a week. Creativity Research Journal Aerobic Exercise and Creative Potential: Immediate and Residual Effects Blanchette, Ramocki, O'del, and Casey (2005),
35. Image: Afternoon walk by Farrukh
36. Image: Yep. He's on a leash by Sara
37. Code Image: Code on the Europython 2009 bag by Thomas Guest
38. Writing Code is ___________________
39. Things we do:! ! 1. Fit many problems in our head 2. And their peculiarities 3. And the edge cases 4. While juggling mental tasks 5. And then figure stuff out Image: Unicycle Lane? by Shannon Henry
40. Writing Code requires mental acuity.
41. Does it all matter? Image: Meaning of Life, Universe, Everything! by Sandra Fauconnier
42. Anecdotal “Evidence” • I think I'm more productive when I'm well-rested. • Maintenance on that 2am code :-( • I feel more productive after exercise. • Food? I feel good when my diet is good.
43. A man too busy to take care of his! health is like a mechanic too busy! to take care of his tools.! - Spanish Proverb Image: Old Tools by arbyreed
44. Science/Cognition Links! https://delicious.com/bkmontgomery/cognition Image: Thank You by Orin Zebest