Exams are here but you're not alone, you've got this!

During exam season, it can be easy for students to fall into stress and burnout. This can cause habits like sleep deprivation from pulling all-nighters, an over-reliance on caffeine and poor diets from takeaways or skipping meals.

We understand that these habits, along with intense study pressure, can really affect your mental health and productivity levels, so we've come up with some ways to help you:

1. All-Night Cramming 🦉

To all the night owls studying away, our tip isn't to stop you from studying late at night, as that would be unrealistic to those who like a later routine, but we have a small fix that could help you prevent sleep deprivation and poor memory retention. Try using a bright, cool-toned light in your study space or a blue light on your screen and close your book or turn your laptop off 15 minutes before trying to sleep.

Why does this work? Bright, blue-toned lights help keep your brain alert, while avoiding screens before you sleep helps your brain produce melatonin to sleep more easily.

Tip: If you're studying late at night, try drinking a herbal tea instead of another coffee.

2. Re-reading Notes 📝

Constantly re-reading, highlighting, and rewriting notes may feel productive, but how much information are you actually retaining? Instead, after reading your notes, immediately close or cover them and blurt out everything you remember. Active recall forces your brain to retrieve information, strengthening your memory far better than passive reading. 

3. Ignoring difficult topics 📚

Unfortunately, you are going to have to stop avoiding those difficult topic, even though we know it can be frustrating to not understand them. Try starting with the hardest topic for 10 minutes before moving on to an easier one. This can help reduce your anxiety around it and ensure you tackle it when you have the most mental energy. 

4. Neglecting food and breaks 🍽️

It can be very easy to fall into a period of constant studying, and the next minute you realise you haven't eaten all day. Whilst you might feel like a Gilmore Girl reaching for your 3rd cup of coffee, skipping meals and constant caffeine can lead to more anxiety and reduced brain function. It's important to factor in your break times and make sure you eat during that time.

If you need any healthy food ideas you can make to get you through your study sessions, check out these 4 meal prep recipes on a budget.

Tip: If you drink coffee to study, make sure you drink a glass of water immediately after to stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause mental fatigue and headaches.

5. Endless doomscrolling and procrastination 📱

As we said, taking breaks in between studying is very healthy, but it can be very easy to fall into the doomscrolling trap - then without realising it, you've been on the sofa for an hour. One way to help with this can be to set a timer for 10 minutes so you can have your social media time, but then have another 10 minutes making a tea or going for a brisk walk, etc. This works because it physically removes the distraction, and instead of escaping into the screen, the alarm sets a boundary for you. 

Tip: Put your phone in another room. That way you won't be tempted to check it whilst you're trying to focus. Again, it sets a boundary between your study and break time. 

Feeling lonely during exam season? 

It's completely normal and valid to feel lonely during this time. You may have an intense study schedule or feel some social disconnection. There are ways to cope through this, though, such as studying in shared spaces like libraries, having social breaks with friends and maintaining communication with your family. But ultimately, remind yourself that many other students are feeling a similar way and you're not alone. 

If you feel like you're struggling during exam season, you can contact our Residential Welfare Team. They can guide you through this and give you advice and support if you need, or just be an ear to listen ❤️