The Human Body: Pushing the Limits & Footbag?

Holliday · Post by **Holliday** » 15 Mar 2008 17:00

Dunno if any of you have seen the new show on the Discovery Channel, but it takes situations, and shows you how the body uses nerves and muscles to execute operations with these cool graphical representations.

Anyway, there was this section on juggling a soccer ball, and in depth about muscle memory. It then went into how your body stores and reinforces the memory of the specific muscle. The best way I can describe it is: Remember back in college (or highschool, whatever). You were told to use the notes you took in class, and rewrite them once you got home? Well it basically works like that. The brain takes what muscle memory it has learned that day, and while you're sleeping, it goes over it again, and reinforces it.

Therefore, all us footbagers should make sure to get a good night sleep after a session, or better yet, footbag before you go to bed? That way the muscle memory is still very fresh?

Anyway, just thought I'd share.

EDIT: Here's the link to it.

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/human-body/human-body.html

Benzilla · Post by **Benzilla** » 15 Mar 2008 17:40

A lot of the reienforcement in your sleep is in your dreams, and i haven't had a dream in months. I swear. I want my dreams back.

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 15 Mar 2008 18:51

Damn it! I totally wanted to watch this show, but I completely forgot about it. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, but I guess to get better at shredding I should start, um.. maybe tomorrow.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 15 Mar 2008 18:55

Benzilla wrote:A lot of the reienforcement in your sleep is in your dreams, and i haven't had a dream in months. I swear. I want my dreams back.

You're getting confused. The time when you're dreaming is theorised (Holscher, Anwyl and Rowan 1997, Stickgold 1998) as being the time where the old memories are removed from the hippocampus, having already been moved to the cortex. The reinforcement occurs in non-REM sleep, which occurs prior to dreaming. It's also very unlikely that you don't dream, and much more likely that you just forget what you were dreaming about. Also what you see in your dreams doesn't really seem to impact on any new information you may have been given that day, but is much more connected with what you're concerned or thinking about (Lavie 1996).

Also I think it would be difficult to play footbag just before going to bed. Physical activity usually generates adrenaline, which keeps you awake. However I don't think there is any suggestion that the less time between new information and sleeping the better the reinforcement.

Getting a good night's sleep will definitely help learning though - including muscle memory - as well as how you feel and your demeanour - which also effects how you perform at physical activities (ie. footbag), so it's worth it.

ownsdaily · Post by **ownsdaily** » 15 Mar 2008 20:59

Yeah... same i havent dreamed in a long time.

Holliday · Post by **Holliday** » 15 Mar 2008 21:19

Jeremy wrote:
Benzilla wrote:A lot of the reienforcement in your sleep is in your dreams, and i haven't had a dream in months. I swear. I want my dreams back.
You're getting confused. The time when you're dreaming is theorised (Holscher, Anwyl and Rowan 1997, Stickgold 1998) as being the time where the old memories are removed from the hippocampus, having already been moved to the cortex. The reinforcement occurs in non-REM sleep, which occurs prior to dreaming. It's also very unlikely that you don't dream, and much more likely that you just forget what you were dreaming about. Also what you see in your dreams doesn't really seem to impact on any new information you may have been given that day, but is much more connected with what you're concerned or thinking about (Lavie 1996).

Ownsdaily wrote:Yeah... same i havent dreamed in a long time.

LAWL!!!

But I hear what you're saying Jeremy, having dreams of events isn't what builds the muscle memory, it's what goes on deep within your mind that really counts.

I understand where you're coming from about shreding before you go to sleep. However, i really enjoying shreding at around 9:30, then going to bed by 10. Haven't had any trouble sleeping so far, but then again, I'm young

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 15 Mar 2008 21:21

I always remember the dreams I really don't want to remember and they forever haunt me.

incest... falling down into hell... the scary man in the shower... the scary man standing in the middle of the street in a menacing green twilight setting... the evil witch/octopus from the little mermaid trying to eat me... danny devito...

professor · Post by **professor** » 15 Mar 2008 21:23

Everyone dreams at night, but you only remember dreams when you wake up during them. So, you still dream, you just don't realize it. At least that's what I've been told.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 15 Mar 2008 23:03

Yeah my psychology text book claims that there is a direct link between REM sleep and dreaming; so if you have REM sleep then you dream and if you don't dream you don't have REM sleep.

Benzilla · Post by **Benzilla** » 16 Mar 2008 07:40

fine, i want to remember my dreams

sanuke okumatzu · Post by **sanuke okumatzu** » 16 Mar 2008 09:24

Jeremy wrote:Physical activity usually generates adrenaline, which keeps you awake.

See...This is why you should play until you're absolutely bone tired.

Holliday · Post by **Holliday** » 16 Mar 2008 11:18

maybe.... we should just play every chance we get!

I don't remember having a bad dream in at least four years... even then I was just falling, kinda weird.

Ah ha!, i got it.... sleep with you footbag on top of your forehead! Guaranteed to bring helpful and inspiring footbag dreams.

Benzilla · Post by **Benzilla** » 16 Mar 2008 11:24

not if it has lead in it..

Holliday · Post by **Holliday** » 16 Mar 2008 13:29

wah?!? News to me! I just thought you couldn't eat it.

kidzanshin · Post by **kidzanshin** » 16 Mar 2008 13:52

a lot of theories about things that help you fall asleep have some connection with body temperature, and i think its best to go to bed as the body is cooling (eg after a large meal the disipation of heat generated through the act of digestion makes you feel drowsy, or the heat from a warm drink etc)

So although a your body may begin to circulate adrenaline this may be counteracted by your body temperature, so shred hard and sleep tight!

Ive also heard about an experiment where people learning languages tried learning before going to sleep, and this increased the proportion of non REM long wave deep sleep where as mentioned before in this topic it is believed you transfer 'data' from your short term memory to your long term memory, so they believed learning before bed meant this increased the retention of knowledge, and i guess this must apply to muscle memory as well

*takes deep breath*

However if you are tired in the evening your form may be sloppy if ur a bit tired and you might remember bad technique, because repetition makes permanent not perfect

maybe someone could try it and see if they see any noticable improvement in their game??

Benzilla · Post by **Benzilla** » 16 Mar 2008 14:01

Holliday wrote:wah?!? News to me! I just thought you couldn't eat it.

i doubt it'll do anything, but i wouldn't sleep with it on my head, just to be safe

james_dean · Post by **james_dean** » 23 Mar 2008 05:27

kidzanshin wrote:a lot of theories about things that help you fall asleep have some connection with body temperature, and i think its best to go to bed as the body is cooling (eg after a large meal the disipation of heat generated through the act of digestion makes you feel drowsy, or the heat from a warm drink etc)

That'll also make you fat

kidzanshin · Post by **kidzanshin** » 23 Mar 2008 06:02

ha! that too, but at least you wont have bags under your eyes

Psilocybe · Post by **Psilocybe** » 23 Mar 2008 06:59

If you smoke pot, that will stop dreams....

Benzilla · Post by **Benzilla** » 23 Mar 2008 10:33

too bad i don't smoke...?