Confused? Muddled? Giving your brain a five minute break will ‘reboot’ your thinking processes and increase performance and productivity by over 50%.

Psychologists at the University of Sydney, led by Associate Professor in Educational Psychology Paul Ginns, experimented on 72 students, all of whom undertook a self-taught lesson followed by two gruelling mental maths tests.

Half the students were allowed a five minute break between the two tests, during which half of them engaged themselves in unstructured non-test related activities, and the other half watched a relaxing nature video.

To make the test fair, the results also took into consideration the student’s abilities in their chosen subjects as well as their performance in other extra curricular activities.

Both groups given a five minute break achieved an average of 57% higher marks than the students who were not allowed a break.

The study results indicate that the substantial improvements gained by taking an attention-restoring ‘brain break’ can apply as much in the office environment as they do in the classroom.

However… while the study involved university students, it confirms what deep down, we all knew to be true in the first place — resting is not just about cognitive function, it’s also about giving the mind time to ‘re-organise’ itself, and also recharge one’s emotional batteries. Taking a break is advice we know to be true. It also helps to improve our own mental performance.

Ideally, you should take a short break every half hour… have a cup of tea, finish the crossword, water the plants… because just five minutes doing something else will have a profound effect on mental health too!