By Erin Catherall
When end of term celebrations are over, the cold hard reality of exams is starting to settle in. With busy schedules and pressure to perform, students often experience an increase in stress and anxiety at this time. Getting enough sleep, balancing a healthy diet, and staying stress-free, are all things that can be very challenging. Luckily, the Faculty of Arts has composed some useful tips for helping students stay balanced and energized during exam period.
With paper and project deadlines, study time, and other commitments, you may wonder if there is enough time in the day to get everything finished. Unfortunately, sleep is often at the bottom of the priority list for most students. All-nighters, late bedtimes, and restless nights are common patterns for students during exams.
But lack of sleep has a significant impact on learning, memory and mood. When we don’t give our bodies the rest they need, we are unable to perform to our full capabilities. In order to prevent fatigue, adults need on average seven to nine hours of sleep a night.
How do they do it you might ask? Learning good time-management skills can help. Tracking and re-evaluating how you spend your day gives you a better idea of how to use your time more efficiently. Avoiding caffeine, alcohol and smoking just before bed can also make sleeping easier. Also, try to structure your study time to when you are most productive and stick to a consistent sleep schedule.
Good nutrition is another challenge for many students during exams. It is easy to rely on convenient premade foods when you are short on time. But while planning ahead to eat a balanced meal can sometimes be difficult, the benefits can pay off.
Eating well helps increase your energy levels and helps achieve or maintain a healthy body weight. In addition, good nutrition increases a person’s ability to concentrate and study longer, and prevents a weak immune system. It is important to eat foods from all food groups and eat every 2.5-4 hours a day. And of course, don’t forget breakfast! Eating a breakfast high in protein and fiber, will not only speed up your metabolism and feed your brain, it will keep you energized for the rest of the day.
But what about stress? If you are swamped with assignments and are trying to cram in a few extra hours before the big exam, how can you expect to stay stress-free? While nervousness may be normal during this time of year, it is important to know when your stress levels are too high. When exam anxiety results in physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms, it is important to step-back, have a break, and allow yourself to re-energize.
Regular exercise, drinking lots of water, and joining a meditation group or performing a mini meditation (5 slow deep breaths) are great techniques for reducing stress. And remember, exams are temporary—everything will soon be over.
If your anxiety continues to persist however, seek professional help from UBC Counselling Services or UBC Student Health.
For more information, contact the UBC Health and Wellness Centre
