It’s getting to that time of year again. Finals are barreling down at us and there doesn’t ever seem to be enough time in the day to study. So instead of studying, procrastination goes up, productivity goes down, and as a result unimportant things like eating and sleeping fall to the bottom of list of things to do. Even as a biology student, even while knowing the importance of sleep and food on brain activity, I still find myself falling into the same silly habits of endlessly cramming just hours before exam time. I’m still grabbing beef patties and hot pockets as my main source of sustenance because I could use those extra 10-20 minutes “studying” instead of buying or cooking a real meal.

Everyone generally knows that an adequate amount of sleep is important in committing things to long term memory or something like that (don’t kill me psych majors), but food also has a big effect on our brain function. Our brains are highly susceptible to the types of foods we eat. Our bodies break down foods into their most basic forms to be used by our bodies. So when you can’t seem to put down that bag of Skittles while you’re studying, you’re taking in simple sugars that get used up immediately. That’s why you get a sudden burst of energy and then crash in a fantastic way. There are also studies that show that foods high in saturated fats impair cognitive functions (check it out). Eating a well-balanced meal will benefit way more than eating something wrapped in plastic and microwaved, no matter how time-efficient it is.

So before it’s too late, here are some tips to keep your brain healthy and functioning for the next few weeks of writing papers and taking exams.

1. EAT A BALANCED  MEAL. 

I can’t stress how important this is. It’s so much easier to grab a crappy slice of pizza or greasy burger than to eat a balanced meal with the appropriate greens and proteins. BUT eating something is usually better than eating nothing. The brain needs food to function so don’t skip any meals!

2. SLEEP AT LEAST 5-6 HOURS A NIGHT.

This is something that we as college students need to practice ALL the time, but it’s especially crucial during finals time, as it increases alertness, helps us consolidate information, reduces our chances to get sick etc. For more info on this, click here.

3. IF YOU ARE SNACKING, AVOID SWEETS. 

Sweets are probably the worst thing you can snack on while you’re studying. Overloading on sugar will just cause you to get increasingly tired throughout the night. The best thing to do is to snack on fruits and nuts and then sleep when you’re tired. Don’t try to overcompensate by downing sweets. Here’s a list of foods and things that will make your brain healthier!

4. DON’T OVERDO IT! 

This is probably the most important thing. Eating and sleeping are crucial, but your body is only capable of so much. Don’t cram! Spread out your studying. Take breaks while studying. Your brain is only capable of absorbing so much information at a time. R&R is as important as the study time.

So that’s it guys! I’ve been in school for a long time and I’ve taken many finals the wrong way, so it’s important to build good habits early in your college career. I’ll be posting meal ideas over the next few weeks so stay tuned! You can also check out the other recipes that I posted here which are also easy but a bit more time-consuming. You can check that out here. I recommend the baked salmon and aglio e olio recipe. Now get to eating! Oh and studying!