During Exam Times

Being Healthy and Combating Stress during Exam Times

Get good rest the night before you test and on studying days:

Ensure that you get a full 8 hours of sleep before your exam. Getting a bad night's sleep can have a negative impact on your test score. Regularly not getting good sleep can create stress and cause you to get sick more often.

Backward plan to figure out when you need to go to bed or get up:

One technique that can help you get to bed on time is backward planning. Start from the time you want to be at your test site or studying the next day, and mentally go through all the things you need to do leading up to that time. Plan backward to figure out when you need to realistically be in bed by to get enough sleep.

·         Consider how long it takes you to fall asleep, typically and make sure your account for that time.

·         Add some cushion time in your backward planning for your test day in case something unexpected happens, like you get lost trying to get to a test site.

Eat brain foods and complex carbs:

Eat complex carbs for brain power. If you are distracted by your hunger during your test or while you study, you won’t be able to focus as well. To combat this, on the day of the test and before you study, eat food high in protein, like eggs and/or whole grains that will stick with you for several hours, like oatmeal. If you have a break during your test, pack a light snack, like an apple, that will keep you alert.

·         On the day of the test, eat complex carbohydrates like oatmeal rather than candy made up of simple carbohydrates and sugar.

·         Eat a serving of omega 3’s three times a week. To help you study better and prepare for your test, consider incorporating omega 3’s into your diet. These nutrients have been found to boost your ability to concentrate and stay alert. You can get these nutrients from salmon, herring, mackerel, trout and sardines.

·         Eat dark veggies and fruits for antioxidants that help your cognitive abilities. Oxidants will damage your cell membranes and fruit like blueberries are a great example of a fruit high in antioxidants that protect your brain cells.

Start an exercise routine:

To help with your mental well being as well as your physical health, try to incorporate about 2 ½ hours of moderately intense (power walking, cycling) exercise into your schedule per week. This will help you relax and concentrate on your test and studies. If you are interested in sports, often times there are intramural teams that meet at parks that you can play on for free or little cost. Inquire at your school or local parks department. Consider renting a workout DVD from the library or doing a video workout online with friends or family every day or every other day.

·                If you feel like you don’t have the time, take 15 minute walks around your campus when you need a break. This will help you focus better once you get back to studying.

·                Go on jogs first thing in the morning to give you energy.

·                Look for ways to get exercise without going out of your way. For example, if you are in school, walk to class rather than taking a bus, or take the stairs instead of the elevator.