That time on the year is coming, Fall exam season. For most students this can be a very stressful time. It may be their first exam season in university, maybe you need to ace this exam to make up for a lower mark that you got over the term. Or it could be your last exam period of university, you have applied for graduation and you are excited to finish off your classes. Whatever the reason, you should feel confident going into your exams, not overly stressed. Some stress before an exam is perfectly normal and healthy, however it is when this stress is so high that you are blanking out, freezing, forgetting all the information you easily remembered the night before, maybe even the morning of. This is called test anxiety, which is related to performance anxiety, and is not the focus of this post. It’s important to make the difference between the two before continuing.
There is always the debate among students and their friends on what the best practice for exam season is. Some people need to start studying 3 weeks or more in advance; some people do better starting a week before. Others alternate back and forth between subjects while some focus on one subject at a time. The topic of focus today is sleeping. Some students cram and get little to know sleep while other get a good rest before their exam. How much can sleep quality and amount really affect your grades?
A study last year showed that students who report more daytime tiredness and less quality of sleep were more likely to have lower scores in their academic performance. Similarly, a study from 2016 found that students who slept 6-10 hours 24 hours before an exam (therefore they may have been taking a nap throughout the day), the better their academic scores were, compared to those who slept less than 6 hours.
What about too much sleep during the exam period? You may not have the classes at 8:30 am anymore, but studies are also showing that sleep consistency is also key. A study found that if students deviate by 30 minutes, they score 50% less than those who slept at least 7 hours. Also, the time you are going to sleep can make a difference. In study showed that students would got 7 hours of sleep but started winding down around 2 am had lower academic performance than those who were falling asleep by 11 pm.
What else can be done to help you during this exam season? Exercise breaks!
Studies have found that people who take exercise breaks during their revision sessions helps with memory and mental performance. Why?
Serotonin release helps regulate your sleep and boosts your mood. So you won’t feel so bored and down while you’re studying.
Dopamine release will increase learning and your attention span.
Norepinephrine release affects motivation and general mental stimulation.
These three hormones, plus increase in brain blood flow and neurotransmitters will improve cognitive function and help your focus better for your study sessions and in that 2 or 3 hour exam coming up. Even better, these little exercise breaks can help decrease your stress levels!
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