Time has come to the end of the semester again, and you are getting more and more busy. Group meetings for projects, reviews for exams, as well as endless paper dues all start to take up more and more of your time. Sometimes you may feel like you have to sacrifice your sleep, your exercise, you regular meal time, and thus, your health to make a final boost of your GPA. In fact, however, health and GPA should not be in a relationship of one or the other.
The following tips for finals month will not only help you find a balance between working hard and being healthy, but remind you that often times they go hand in hand as well.
Relax and Release Your Stress
First thing you feel at the end of every semester besides the longing for summer vacation would probably be stress. Both physical and psychological stress can cause chronic inflammation in your body, with an immediate effect of dampen your brain and body function, as well as a long term effect of increasing your risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Your overall performance and wellness could be determined by how well you manage your stress. Getting adequate sleep, eating a balanced diet, and participating in regular physical activity are all effective ways of reducing stress, and have all been shown to reduce inflammation.
Keep a Regular Schedule
Irregular daily schedule also creates metabolic stress in your body and dampen both your health and your academic performance. The "regular schedule" here does not mean getting up at 7am and going to bed at 11pm everyday. No matter you are a "morning person" or a "night person", as long as you eat, sleep, and do similar things at similar time from day to day, you are minimizing the stress you put on your body.
Stop Skipping Meals
Regular meal time is also a part of regular schedule, and an important one. We all know that it's bad to skip breakfast, and it's actually bad to skip lunch and dinner too. Always have an apple, a banana, a cup of yogurt, or a granola bar in your bag so that you have at least something healthy to snack on when it's lunch time and you are still in the middle of your work.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
During periods of intensive brain activity, water serves as the primary media and reactant in the massive metabolic reactions going on in your body and your brain. To maintain health and high level of functionality, you need to watch out for dehydration. You also want to try hydrating yourself with healthier choices. Instead of grabbing a sugary drink, hydrate with plain or sparkling water, unsweetened iced tea, or just simply carry a water bottle with a tea bag with you.
