In three weeks, finals will start. You may have thought about studying, but have you prepared your body? Your performance in finals is largely impacted by your body’s condition.
One way to improve your body’s condition is by getting ample sleep.
Wellness Services professional Corsair Mack recommends students get six to eight hours of sleep.
“You do need your sleep,” Mack said. “If you don’t get your sleep, you’re going to be tired. If you’re tired, your brain’s going to be tired. But you’re going to have a harder time pulling out information that you put in [your brain].”
The brain is a part of the nervous system.
“Sleep does improve the function of the nervous system,” said Farrah Bennani, Biology professor.
Being one’s phone before bed can overstimulate one’s nervous system and make falling asleep difficult. This is because of blue light.
Bennani said much research has been done on this.
“The more our brain is overstimulated with certain light,” she said, it can negatively impact us.
“If we can stop being on our screen at least two hours before we go to bed, it helps with the dissimulation process,” Bennani said.
She also recommends meditation and deep breathing to improve the nervous system.
Why does your nervous system have to do with preparing for finals?
“With our learning, as well anything happening in our body, it is under the control of the nervous system,” Bennani said.
It’s where we retain information and where long-term and short-term memory are stored.
“We are born with a set number of nerve cells, or neurons,” she said. “And as we age, then we lose a number of those brain cells. They do not multiply.”
But, we can improve our brain function, thanks to neuroplasticity.
“One example would be some people like to do puzzles, and anything that will stimulate the brain to remain share,” Bennani said.
She also suggested learning different languages. Bennani speaks six languages. Exercise and reading are other ways to improve brain neuroplasticity.
“The idea is always simulate the brain for something that will induce curiosity in a good way,” she said. “And it’s conditioning. The more you do it, the better it is.
Food, also, impacts brain function.
“Foods that contain fat, the good fatty acid,” Bennani said.” Think of salmon, think of sardine. Those are rich in the omega three fatty acid, which is the good fat and it is needed for the brain health.”
She added “Anything leafy greens. They are good because they do contain antioxidants. They contain vitamins and those are helping to support the brain function. Whole grains. Think of oats. Think of quinoa, brown rice. Again, those are basically large molecules, so the release of the energy is steady and this will help you focus.”
Mack works with students to help them maximize their focus while studying.
“On average, a student only needs to study for five hours a day,” he said. “Anything longer than that, the brain just turns to mush.”
Mack and his colleagues meet with students and help them create a study plan.
“We have them (students) create a routine they can follow, so that they can make sure they get the most efficient amount of time to study for finals, as well as to have time for everything else they have do,” Mack said. “Also, we take a look at their study skill styles and how they learn or retain information.”
Both Mack and Bennani advise students not to cram for finals.
“The brain does not retain the information when it’s loaded one time,” Bennani said.
She recommends studying in chunks.
“As you are finishing every chapter, practice and memorize it before you have the big exam,” Bennani said. “You always revisit the previous information. That’s how the brain retains information.”
