BoatUS Mag Feb-Mar 2019 “Your Brain on a Boat”

H

hardee

New member
If you are not a BoatUS member, you are missing out on some great perks. One of my favorites is their magazine. This year, the Feb March issue has a several interesting articles, but I want to focus on this one –“This is Your Brain on a Boat”.

The article is here:
https://www.boatus.com/magazine/2019/fe ... health.asp

This article addresses, no confirms, something many of us have known for a long time. Simply, your brain is better on a boat. For me, the affinity for water started when I was growing up in Sidney, BC and had a tiny white, flat bottom, plywood dingy that I was allowed to take out, by myself (starting at age 7) and to be out, out of sight, out of the small bay, and out all day, and pretty much every day for several years. The attraction to the water stuck, and has lasted a life time. I have spent several years living in eastern Washington, Idaho, and Utah, and water was not right next door, but I always managed to find a place where I could go to get my “water fix”. The water was a place of solace when my world was upside down. The river passed peace as it rolled buy, whether it was the Little Bear River in NE Utah, the Snake in Idaho or the Columbia in Oregon. There was even an irrigation collection pond near Walla Walla where I could go to watch the ripples course across the surface as the evening breeze gave a last gasp.

The fix was always a boost, bringing peace and quiet to the soul. I have often said it was my “Battery Recharge” and it was a necessity to maintain sanity, calm the turmoil from the stresses of College classes, 80 hour work weeks, and overwhelming “life”. At times, even if the water wasn’t as peaceful it was still water. Maybe it was the reflection of the water in the ditches I was burning to kill the mosquito larva in RSVN, there were reflections there that could take me away for a few minutes. Always the water is an attraction.

Funny, I have cut myself accidentally on occasion and it bleeds red. Strange, because what is running in my veins is salt chuck for sure. Not sure how it transforms to red, but however, for me it works. I find it very interesting that this article substantiates the fact that we all know, there is an attraction there, it is life long, and we are the better for succumbing to it. If it wasn’t for that attraction, would we be here? Would we do what we do.?

How is you brain on your boat?

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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Nicely said Harvey. There was a book review in the Wall Street journal this week about psychiatry and brain evolution. Our society has evolved so rapidly, that our brains are not keeping up with it. I believe it is true. In many ways our brains and psyche have not changed much from the times of hunter/gatherer.

For me, all thru my life, it was mostly an escape to the water to get away from the stress of studies or the practice of medicine. In college, I was only an hour or so from the S. Calif. Coast-- but not enough time to get down there--except on the rare weekend there was a college event at the beach. But my fraternity had a mountain cabin on Mount Baldy, with a stream running by it year around. I was cabin manager for the entire time I was at Pomona College. I could be at the cabin in 20 minute from the dorms--and did a lot of studying with the stream in the background. Often I would stay overnight, and be very refreshed arriving back to study. Med College, was in Houston--and I had a time off rule: Saturday 1q PM to Sunday 1PM--most of the time it was on the water--usually a lake or River, but occasionally to Galveston--during the summers, we took our 16 foot ski boat on each weekend, and did part of the ICW sleeping on the beach--eventually running from LA to Brownsville. Return to S. Calif. and all thru internship, Residency, teaching at UCLA, near the water, much of it living on a 29 foot sailboat. Even when I was drafted into the Army, I managed to finagle an assignment on the Chesapeake Bay.

Your brain needs that recovery time--pease and nature. In my life it has been an escape to the sea.

We do see some different types of boaters more recently--They read about doing the loop. Buy a $$$$$ boat, learn a little about steering, and some basic navigation (punch in a waypoint, by touching the destination on the screen), and off they go--after the trip--the boat is sold. On to something else. I wonder about their brains?
 
In my days (nights?) as a Sleep Tech we would have our patients hooked up and ready for sleep before the start time for the testing. During the pre calibration and recording time we were still monitoring their brain waves. There are certain patterns that we look for and are very distinguishable, the sleep stages and the wake pattern. It was interesting to watch the wake pattern and compare the changes in the wake stage according to what they were doing. Even though it was a distinct "Wake" stage, there were subtle differences we could see depending on the persons activity. Watching TV is almost the same as Sleep Stage 1, but depending on the program there was a difference between an exciting, shoot em up or high drama and something peaceful and serene, or listening to music or quiet reading.

It would be fun to be part of the further studies on environment, emotion and brain activity.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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I could not agree more. Well, one other option is my Harley, but even on the non able to get on the water days... You might just see me sitting in my boat. (In my driveway)

Richard
 
rbfconstruction":1634p3k8 said:
I could not agree more. Well, one other option is my Harley, but even on the non able to get on the water days... You might just see me sitting in my boat. (In my driveway)

Richard
Click to expand...

Richard, I could not agree more. I have been there -- both places.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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