According to a review of 22 separate studies, 10-minute breaks help reduce fatigue, increase energy levels, improve facts learning, and help with learning new skills. Researchers found that performance improved more during rests than when actively practicing. The gains were even more significant after a whole night's rest.
Don’t have 10 minutes? How about 10 seconds?
Even breaks of ten seconds may help the brain consolidate new information more effectively. Taking very short breaks is vital to effective learning, neuroscientists find.
Recordings of the brain's electrical activity show more changes in critical areas during the rest period than during learning. A 10-second break after learning helps the brain consolidate new information more effectively. Resting a few seconds after learning allows the brain to solidify the memory.
The study was published in PLOS ONE (Albulescu et al., 2022).