Stress and unhealthy habits around final exam season

All those who studied, study or will study a career, be it technical or university, have passed or will go through the stress of the final exam week. Fighting so that the information learned is refreshed in memory and to reinforce those parts that were not entirely clear in order to obtain a good grade in the dreaded final exams. The desire to pass the tests to close the academic year well and to enjoy the time of tests brings with it the appearance of unhealthy actions that may seem insignificant or of little relevance at a time when the world seems to depend on the grades that we get, but the reality is that such actions can have consequences on our health in the future (Jemmott & Magloire, 1988). Today we are going to explain the reasons why the trend of these bad habits continues despite knowing that they have a harmful effect on ourselves. In addition, we will explain the possible consequences that they can bring with them and the best ways to face the final exams in a healthy way and that will also help us to perform better in these evaluations (Trifoni & Shahini, 2011).

1. Why do we continue to engage in unhealthy habits despite knowing that we hurt ourselves?

Everyone wants to pass their final exams, get a good average, excel in college in order to get a good job
in the future. We all have dreams, objectives and goals that we want to be able to fulfill and we see studies as the means to achieve them. There is the desire to study and review the information of the courses, leaving aside on many occasions the hours of sleep, meals at the corresponding hours and even isolating ourselves to try to obtain the best possible grade (Trueba, Smith, Auchus & Ritz, 2013).

2. What are the consequences of these habits?

Some of the bad habits that are carried out more frequently during the final exam period are: little or no sleep, poor diet, either by eating at hours that do not correspond or by eating junk food with the intention of saving time in cook (Trifoni & Shahini, 2011). The combination of these actions can have dire consequences for the student's health in the short and long term, such as:

• Continual lack of sleep has been closely associated with hypertension, heart attacks and strokes, obesity, diabetes, depression and anxiety, decreased brain function, memory loss, a weakened immune system, lower fertility rates and disorders (Walker, 2008).

• Lack of concentration, dizziness and fatigue, diabetes, gastritis, overweight and neuronal damage can be the consequences of fasting constantly and for prolonged periods.

• Eating junk food for a long time brings digestive problems such as reflux or irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue and weakness, learning and memory problems, which in this case goes against what the student wants to achieve, diabetes and even depression in young people due to the hormonal changes that are altered due to these foods (Al-Qahtani, 2016).

3. How can we face the final exam season in an efficient and healthy way?

To achieve a balance between what is healthy and what is necessary to pass the final evaluations, certain guidelines must be followed such as:

• Design a study schedule: in this way we can incorporate intermediate breaks between each study session. This will help the brain to process the new information and will prevent us from becoming overloaded (Trifoni & Shahini, 2011).

• Perform leisure activities: quite the opposite of what is believed, leisure activities are not to waste time. These help to de-stress and not overload the person's mind, avoid stressful situations and this in turn makes the scheduled study sessions more efficient by being able to retain new information.

• Follow a balanced diet: Taking time to cook can help as a relaxation or pause activity between each study session. In addition, this will prevent the use of the well-known 'fast food' from being resorted to, which damages our body when ingested in excess and which interferes with the concentration and learning that the student wants (Al-Qahtani, 2016).

Conclusion

To achieve our objectives, goals and dreams, it is not necessary to sacrifice or put our physical and mental health at risk. On the contrary, it is good habits that will help us to perform better in the final evaluations. At the moment that you feel overwhelmed and overwhelmed by having many things on your mind, seeing the time against and feeling pressured, stop for a moment and think about yourself, your health and your well-being, get organized, take breaks and continue the indications you will see that your objectives are fulfilled in a simpler way.

References

Jemmott, J. B., & Magloire, K. (1988). Academic stress, social support, and secretory immunoglobulin A. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55(5), 803–810. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.55.5.803

Trueba, A. F., Smith, N. B., Auchus, R. J. & Ritz, T. (2013). Academic exam stress and depressive mood are associated with reductions in exhaled nitric oxide in healthy individuals. Biological Psychology, 93(1), 206-212.

Trifoni, A. & Shahini, M. (2011). How Does Exam Anxiety Affect the Performance of University Students? Mediterranean journal of social sciences, Vol.2 (2), p.93-100.

Walker, M. P. (2008). Cognitive consequences of sleep and sleep loss. Sleep Medicine, 9(1), 1-6.

Al-Qahtani, M. H. (2016). Dietary Habits of Saudi Medical Students at University of Dammam. International Journal of Heath Sciences, 10(3), 353-362.