Thinking and glucose

State of mind, mental focus, ADHD, sleep, motivation, studying etc
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spring
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Thinking and glucose

Post by spring »

How much glucose does the body use when thinking intensively? For example when working at a computer and concentrating hard for hours at a go? Does this consume a lot of energy or is the energy used to perform brain activity minimal?

Could that be why I tend to overeat when doing work that requires a lot of mental energy? I haven't really emptied my glycogen depots by sitting at the computer, but I do feel the urge to eat and it strikes unpredictably. (That's part of the reason I am failing at the diet.) Or is this tied in with emotion. That work one does can affect our emotional state, make us stressed, anxious and that is why we can turn to food even when relatively inactive?

Another question: why are some computer geeks really skinny and some grossly overweight? Or is this a myth and computer geeks as a group show a normal distribution when it comes to their weight?
johndela1
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Post by johndela1 »

I'm a geek. I've been around many geeks most of my career. From my expierience, it is a myth. I've seen all types.
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RRM
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Re: Thinking and glucose

Post by RRM »

spring wrote:How much glucose does the body use when thinking intensively?
Your brain is always active; it doesnt 'shut down' when you are not studying, so that required energy will be the same. (125 gram glucose / day)
Could that be why I tend to overeat when doing work that requires a lot of mental energy?
Your brain works best when there is plenty of glucose in the blood, also because then the uptake of amino acids like tryptophan into the brain (for conversion into serotonine for example) takes places most efficiently, ensuring the availability of all required neurotransmitters.
And overeating keeps your blood glucose level high.
spring
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Post by spring »

Thanks for the answer, RRM.
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