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Exams, stress, deadlines and sleep
DEADLINES
AND EXAMS LOOMING?
Not
enough hours in the day? If you are stressed and getting behind then
the more hours you work the more you will learn? WRONG! Every year
we see large numbers of students suffering due
to the effects of over-working and stress
Stress can make you; wound up, tired, anxious, worried, nervous, agitated, sleepless, irritable, scared, panicky, forgetful, lethargic, jumpy, unable to settle to anything. These are all things we would describe as stress or stress induced
Problems often arise and stress levels increase when exams and deadlines loom. Study and revision dominates your time and becomes your major goal. Other necessities get in the way, including sleep and relaxation. As stress builds up and your work suffers you try to do without sleep and relaxation, all too soon you cannot sleep and you cannot relax making you more stressed
You may have become inefficient at studying and learning and your only perceived way of improving is to do more work, making the problem even worse!
We know from psychological studies that we all have limits to our attention span and capabilities to take on board information. There is often little to be gained and lots to be lost struggling on trying to study past these end points. It is vitally important to get off the vicious cycle and prevent stress levels building up. This is not just during the run up to exams but also from day to day as well
BEATING
THE STRESS
Plan
your day, have definite breaks for relaxation during your studies. Whether
it is sport, yoga, meditation, watching TV, music or just chatting with
friends, the time you set aside must be protected. You must
not worry that you should be working, if you do you will not relax
and will not benefit from the break
If you look at people's stress levels at the end of the day those who have relaxation periods have much lower levels, so they work better and sleep better. You can't expect your brain to switch instantly from learning mode to sleep mode - if you have been working all day it can be even more difficult to relax if yon have used Caffeine or Nicotine to help keep you alert when studying. Listen to your body have a relaxation break when you need it, but especially at the end of the day
Will sleeping tablets help? Again it is better to treat the cause rather than use medication to chemically induce sleep. Virtually all sleeping tablets can cause sedation the next day and impair work performance. Not what you need at exam and revision time!
TOP TIPS
- Plan your study, don't leave it all to the last minute
- Have regular relaxation breaks - and keep these breaks protected
- Don't sit thinking you should be working whilst trying to relax
- By being more efficient you might be able to do in 6 hours what you couldn't in 12
- If you are under pressure with work relaxation breaks become even more important
For relevant information see also Exams and illness
Source: LSMP
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