Staying Healthy During Finals

It's that time of the year again: finals week. This slowly approaching week means stress, overcaffination, and awkward eating times. Staying healthy, mentally and physically is an important part of exams week. There are a number of tips that can allow you to stay focused and perform your best on your exams.

Believe it or not, there are tons of foods that can help you through this stressful time. Blueberries are said to improve learning capacity. Eggs, which are high in choline, helps improve memory functions. Dark chocolate helps brains deal with free radicals, which can have damaging affects on the brain (just make sure to eat it in moderation).

When at the library, you don't want to be running to the vending machine constantly. Some great snacks to bring along with you are:

-Apples and peanut butter (or banana and peanut butter)

-Carrots and ranch dressing

-Cliff bars

-Yogurt

-Whole grain crackers and cheese

Many of these items, such as the yogurt, crackers, cheese, and peanut butter, help stabilize blood sugar and increase the clarity of your thinking. Some foods to avoid, though, are carbs high in starch. These include items such as bagels and bread. High amounts of carbs creates a relaxation effect, which makes you tired. That's is not something you want when trying to cram for that history exam!

The number one rule of staying healthy during finals week, though, is to stay hydrated. Dehydration is an easy way to lose concentration. In the HerCampus article "Survival of the Fittest: Eating Healthy During Finals", they give great tips on how liquids affect your body. Water or non-sugary options like crystal light packets are great choices to stay hydrated. When it comes to coffee and other types of caffeine, drink it in moderation. Large amounts of caffeine cause your blood sugar levels and mood fluctuate, causing you to become mentally and physically exhausted.

And remember, the best thing you can do at the start of your day is to eat breakfast, according to 10 Tips for Healthy Eating During Exams. By keeping your body and brain healthy, you will succeed during finals week! 

Madison

Campus Collegiate

Finals Week: Organization

Campus Collegiate: Home and Living

It stresses you out, makes absolutely sure you are nice and sleep deprived, turns you into a zombie wearing clothes that you would never be caught dead in on a normal basis and basically turns you into a walking disaster.

That’s right…. it’s finals week.

I’m here with only four tips that will help you keep calm and make sure everything in your life is in tip-top shape to improve your study habits and get you prepared for those inevitable all-nighters.

1. Organize your notes.

Over the weeks that shiny folder has become full of miscellaneous clutter that is not helping you figure out exactly what the author meant in fill in cliché English book here. Clean up. Throw away anything that you don’t need and focus only on what is going to be on your final. Highlight key points, make flashcards, do anything and everything that you know will help you. This site has good tips on how to actually take notes, as well as organize them: http://www.brighthub.com/education/college/articles/67987.aspx.

I am partial to flashcards because I don’t retain information by simply reading it. A newer tool I have been utilizing is the “Droid Flashcard” app on my phone (free from the Market). I know that Apple has flashcard apps for the iPhone, but I haven’t used any personally because I have a Droid. If anyone knows of a good iPhone app, I would really appreciate a comment with one. On my app, I can type things up directly on my phone, but better yet, I can type everything I need on my computer and sync or send it to my phone. It is so much easier than writing out and carrying around a tower of index cards

2. Let in the light!

We all know that library’s are disgustingly crowded during finals week and finding a table to sprawl out on is almost as impossible as denying how unbelievably gorgeous Ryan Gosling is. Don’t fight the crowds and add another stressor to your life, just turn your room into a place you can actually get work done! Make sure you have lots of light on your desk. I found a nice lamp at Wal-Mart for only $6. I posted the link to it below. Don’t forget that they have price matching, so print this out and head to your local Wal-Mart for a cheap light source.

 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Architect-Lamp-Black/16533259

3. Smell the success.

The sense of smell is a very powerful thing. For finals week, it can even calm you down. Lavender has been proven to have an aromatherapy effect that calms your senses. Don’t burn incense and set off the fire alarm (making you a dorm of enemies) and instead buy a Glade Plugin. I went with the Lavender and Vanilla one for the week. You can, again, go to Wal-Mart and get the Plugin with two scented oil refills for only $4.88. I highly recommend this one.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Glade-Plugins-2-Lavender-Vanilla-Refills-Scented-Oil-1.42-fl-oz/11046027 

4. Hear the triumph.

Show those tests that you deserve a 3.5 GPA this semester and study while listening to classical music. We've all heard that classical music can help, but is this true? Here is one study from the University of Nebraska at Omaha that claims classical music can help while studying: http://music.arts.usf.edu/rpme/effects.htm. There are countless classical music stations on free music site Pandora. I always study while listening to Pandora’s  Classical Music Medley station. 

Use these four tips and just remember, it’s only a test! You’ll be home soon enough, eating homemade food and playing with your dog (or cat or fish). Take it one day at a time and you’ll make it through. I promise.

Jenna Danzig

Campus Collegiate