Staying healthy during exams can often seem like a daunting challenge. With the pressure to perform and the demand for wholesome attention towards studies, students tend to neglect their physical and mental health. Late-night study marathons, erratic sleep schedules, poor diet and lifestyle habits, increased stress levels – they all constitute the common mistakes that students make during examination periods.
Exam period is usually the most stressful part of an academic year. Quite often, it means staying up too late and drinking too much coffee. Therefore, below we will provide you with 12 tips for staying healthy during exams period.
Table of Contents
Be Organized
Regardless of where you decide to study, make sure the environment that you are working in is clean and tidy. Avoid clutter, as this can have a negative effect. If you work in a clean and tidy environment as professional essay writers from Advanced Writers do, your mind will be clearer, and this will enable you to focus on your work better.
Drink Plenty of Water
It’s very easy not to drink enough water, especially if you’re drinking lots of caffeine and staying up late at night. When your body is hydrated, you will not suffer from headaches, stress-related acne, and it will also reduce any soreness in the joints.
Remember to Eat
It’s easy to forget to eat when your head is stuck in your books. When you do eat, make sure that you eat food that provides your body with essential nutrients and vitamins. Of course, have the odd treat to reward yourself after you’ve completed an exam, but on the whole, make sure you are eating healthy foods. To ensure that you have a balanced diet, consider the below:
As well as drinking plenty of water also drink coconut water, herbal teas, and milky teas.
Avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar to ensure that you keep your blood sugar levels steady.
Eat foods that help your memory i.e., fish, which is high in omega 3 (e.g., salmon) berries, eggs, fruits, green leafy vegetables and nuts, and seeds.
Manage Stress
It can be difficult to relax and stay calm during the exam period, and a small amount of stress is not always bad as it helps you to focus. However, if you have too much stress, this can have a negative impact and affect your concentration, so, therefore, it’s important to keep your stress levels under control.
Breathing Exercises
During the exam period, it is worth spending time doing some breathing exercises. A breathing exercise that you could try, for example, is to begin by closing your eyes. Next, you need to inhale through your nose for three seconds. Hold this for three seconds, and when you are ready to release, do this through your mouth for three seconds.
Keep Active
Time is of the essence when it’s exam period, but it’s still important to stay active in order to stay mentally healthy. When you exercise, your body releases ‘happy hormones’ known as endorphins, and these also help to reduce stress. You don’t need to be completing a full workout; simply walking will help to keep you active.
Speak to Your Family and Friends
When you’re feeling stressed and need a break, take some time out and speak to your family or friends. This will help to calm you down, and it will also help to improve how your brain functions.
Get Good Sleep
Especially before an exam, it’s important to get a healthy night’s sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, your brain is not able to process information as well as it normally would do so, which means you will make silly mistakes. A lack of sleep will also affect your memory, and it will not be as sharp as it usually is.
Socialize
As much as you may think you can catch up with friends and family after your exams, it’s important to take some time out to still physically socialize with them as well as speak to them on the phone. If you liked to go for a drink with your friends, then consider meeting them for one. Another option to help you to socialize is to join a study group. Not only will this help you to improve on study areas that you may be struggling with, but you’ll also be able to mix with other people.
Take in Fresh Air
Quite often you may be studying indoors, so you need to make sure that you have good ventilation. Try and avoid studying in a room that doesn’t provide you with plenty of fresh air.
Study Sensibly
It’s well known that you need to take a 10-minute break for every hour that you study. This helps to give your brain a rest, and it also means you can get up. And take time away from your books to relax for a short period of time.
Hand Hygiene
When you are stressed, missing out on sleep and not eating well, your immune system will not be at its best. For this reason, it’s important to make sure you keep your hands clean, so that you avoid picking up any other nasty bugs.
Conclusion:
In summary, staying healthy during exams is not just about getting through the stressful period of examinations, but it’s also about using healthy habits as tools to enhance performance. Every tip shared in this article, from maintaining a balanced diet, regular exercise, proper sleep, to stress management techniques, is designed to cultivate resilience in the face of academic pressure.
So, strive to embed these health-oriented practices into your routine and notice the difference it makes to your exam preparation and performance.