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Unhealthy Habits to Avoid During Exams

As students navigate the exam period, striking a balance between academic performance and personal well-being is crucial. Good health enhances focus, retention, and overall success. Unfortunately, in the quest for better grades, many students adopt habits they believe will help, but which, in reality, harm both body and mind.

Several unhealthy habits often creep into students’ routines during exams. One of the most prevalent is overnight reading, popularly known among UItes as TDB (Till Day Break). Overnight reading should not have been the norm, rather, it should only be resorted to when circumstances call for it. Circumstances such as preoccupation in the daytime or probably there had been a crash course that you attended for a course you find very difficult to understand. Excessive engagement in 'TDB' during exam period can disrupt the sleep wake cycle leading to difficulty in focusing, retention, and mood swing.

Engagement in overnight sleeping implies that very little time is spared for sleeping at night. Sleeping in the daytime should not be substituted for sleeping at night. Nature works in an amazing way where if a person deprived himself of sleep for whatever reason, he will still have to find time during the day to sleep which could be likened to a carryover.

Nighttime sleep has been found to be more effective than daytime sleep. Darkness prompts the brain to produce melatonin, the sleep hormone, while reducing cortisol, the stress hormone. Allah says in the Quran Surah Al-Furqan, verse 47 "And He is the One who has made the night an apparel for you, and the sleep a means of rest and has made the day a means of revival". With this Quran verse, it is enough reason to give preference to sleeping at night.

Another common habit during exam period is a sedentary lifestyle; spending lengthy hours sitting or lying down with minimal activity. Long study without breaks caused by the pressure to maximise limited time will lead a student to become sedentary. Constantly being in the sedentary posture can lead to reduced blood flow to the brain, lead to back ache, neck strain and development of poor posture.

Equally concerning is the consumption of caffeine content consumables. Caffeine is a bitter alkaloid found in coffee, tea and energy drinks which is responsible for their stimulatory effect. This is constantly consumed unminded until it becomes excessive in the body system. It is important to point out that individual tolerance to these substances differ.

Overconsumption of caffeine can have the following unpleasant and dangerous side effects: anxiety, as the thought of exam questions is enough cause for anxiety, and indulgence in caffeinated drinks can further increase it, which may affect the ability to think and reason during exams; insomnia, since caffeine's ability to help people stay awake and alert, though valued, can make it difficult to get enough restorative sleep and increase the time it takes to fall asleep; and other side effects such as increased blood pressure and fatigue.

Lastly, poor feeding habits are of great concern among students during exams. Due to heavy academic demands, most students deprive themselves of the benefits of taking good meals and instead consume junk food or fast food. A lot of these fast food are fried which the excessive consumption causes several heart based and non-heart diseases. Taking it further, some of them may even have to skip meals.

In the end, an all-night grind powered by caffeine and fueled by skipped meals often leads to confusion rather than clarity. What seems like an aid can quickly turn into a health trap. True academic excellence thrives on a healthy mind and body. Plan ahead, study smart, eat well, and rest adequately, because success should never come at the expense of your mental or physical health.