How to prepare for exams and at the same time maintain your health is a question that many students ask themselves during the session. The truth is that students are stressed, and this is quite natural. But a high level of stress can affect the ability to perceive information adequately. It may interfere with health during the session, and the results of exams depend directly on the student’s wellness.
Of course, part of the college load can be shifted to the online assistants. So, thinking about philosophy essay topics, it will not be superfluous to study educational sites to save time and keep nerves. But you should not forget about a comprehensive approach to maintaining mental health.
During the exam preparation, you should not change the daily routine radically, as a drastic change of routine does not “fit” into the established biological rhythms of the person and requires a long period of adaptation. Thus, within the exam session, keep the usual rhythm of sleep and wakefulness, limiting yourself to minimal changes in the regime.
How to stay healthy in college: essential tips for surviving the exam period
1. Sleep and wakefulness regime: it is not recommended to increase the study load at the expense of sleep
Normal sleep relieves mental fatigue and ensures the restoration of spent body strength. It also plays a crucial role in memory mechanisms. Poor sleep habits, meanwhile, will do the opposite.
As scientists’ research showed, it is during sleep that the daily information is transferred from operational to long-term memory. So, reducing the amount of time allocated for sleep leads to poor mental well-being, lethargy, and apathy. This also reduces the effectiveness of learning material.
During the exam session, in addition to night sleep, it is desirable to introduce a short (1-1.5 hours) afternoon nap into the daily routine.
2. Alternation of mental and physical activity
It is optimal to distribute the workload on half-hour classes with fifteen-minute breaks for physical activity. The method of physical activity does not matter. It can be ordinary exercise, aerobics, dancing, etc. It is desirable to involve all muscle groups to increase blood circulation in the body.
Such pauses have a favorable effect on lymph circulation, which almost stops with sedentary mental work. Thus, it requires periodic active stimulation due to the work of the muscles. In addition to short breaks in the day mode, provide 1-2 large breaks for walking in the fresh air. Organize summer walks in parks, squares, and other places with green spaces to ensure active ventilation of the lungs and oxygen saturation of the body.
3. Psychological preparation for exams
It is to create an optimally functional state that allows the student to best show his knowledge to the instructor. And also to cut the damage to health, caused by hard study during exams.
To normalize the physiological state, students can use two groups of techniques, one of which is aimed at relaxation. This method can be a self-massage.
For flexibility and elasticity of movement, it is necessary to relax the shoulders, hands, and wrists. Self-massage each body part should be done for no more than 3-5 minutes. As soon as you finish the massage, try to relax your tense hands.
4. Nutrition
Even if the session is in full swing, you should not forget about proper nutrition. One of the keys to eating well in college is to eat regularly. A varied and nutritious diet, healthy food, and enough fluids are all you need to prepare for exams and stay healthy. Health tips for college students:
- Iron and B vitamins are essential for the mind. The first is found in red meat, grains, and apples. The latter enters the body with dairy products, eggs, and fish.
- To refuse a complete meal, but to drink a vitamin complex is not a solution, because the latter is only a dietary supplement. Their combined consumption will bring much more energy.
- It is necessary to eat a little, but often. Eating three meals a day with huge portions is a relic of the past. But if there is no time to cook, then canned food from the store can be of invaluable help. You can safely buy cod, mackerel, and sardines. They will supply the body with omega-3 acids, which contribute to a better perception of information.
- Breakfast is a must. Only it is not coffee and a sandwich. Coffee should not be abused at all during the session. A great energy breakfast would be muesli with milk or yogurt, porridge, and scrambled eggs.
- Fruits should be the best friend of the student before exams. Oranges, tangerines, and pineapples contribute to a better perception of new information as well.
- Drink as much liquid as possible. You should give preference to green tea, mineral water, or fruit juices, preferably freshly squeezed.
- Chocolate does give you energy, but compared to fruit the effect is short-lived. Then it worsens and a new dose is required.
Health tips for college students during the exam period
- If you urgently need to remember a large amount of information, you can use a favorite technique of many theater actors. During memorization, eat a few slices of pineapple. A large number of active substances contained in this fruit will help to keep a large amount of info in memory.
- A foreign language exam is looming, and there is little time to prepare? Citrus fruits can help you because the high dose of vitamin C contributes to a better perception of the new information.
- Before the exam, eat a salad of grated carrots, raisins, and chopped walnuts, seasoned with vegetable oil, sour cream, or mayonnaise. It will help you think quickly. You can drink a tincture of ginseng, Eleutherococcus, aralia, lemongrass diluted in water the day before. This will increase mental and physical performance, relieve fatigue, stimulate the nervous system, and creative activity.
To prepare for exams and maintain health is a fairly difficult task, but doable. Getnursingessay experts say that medical students have an easier time with exams because their knowledge of medicine pays off. The main thing is to learn to prioritize, even when you are under a lot of stress.
Proper nutrition and physical activity will help to keep you healthy during exams. A healthy diet is always better than coffee and energy drinks. Together with physical activity, it will help to get rid of stress and pass the session successfully. Nevertheless, following the precepts of proper nutrition, fitness and doing physical exercises, and relaxing with self-massage, you still shouldn’t forget about the books.
