Students seem to have it tougher and tougher every year. Stress levels amongst students are definitely on the rise. You may think that’s pretty natural and not such a big issue but stress affects your health in adverse ways. It can also negatively affect your academic performance.

If you want to feel less stressed as you study, follow these tips!

Eat more healthily

The “student lifestyle” isn’t exactly one that promotes a healthy diet. But this isn’t just the result of “kids being kids”, the way many adults try to portray it. As easy as it is for me to say “eat more healthily”, the reason that most students eat junk food is in order to save money! It’s why so many students live on budget noodles and not much else.

But you should remember that eating junk food can negatively affect your mood and concentration. Research some cheap and healthy recipes. Oh – and get some exercise!

Get some more sleep

One of the other unhealthy things that are associated with student lifestyle is lack of sleep. Indeed, some students treat it as a kind of badge of honour. I’m here to tell you: staying up all night and studying probably isn’t doing you any favour.

Your brain needs that rest. Getting at least seven hours of sleep a night is going to help you study more efficiently. If you feel like nighttime is the only time you can afford to study, then you may want to look into improving time management for your study!

Need a break? Try something brainy

If you just go in hard and study all day, then you’re probably doing more damage than good! So you need to make sure you’re taking regular breaks. Science hasn’t helped us pin down exactly how often we should take breaks. But there’s no denying that breaks help us focus and be more productive.

When you take breaks, you should consider doing something that can still keep your brain working. Reading a good book can definitely help. You should consider going outside to do it, too. Doing some sudoku puzzles can also do wonders. That being said, everyone is different. You might need to shut your brain off completely with a video game or something!

Smoking? Consider quitting

Most people who smoke begin their habit before the age of 24. In fact, studies have shown that colleges and universities do tend to house a large number of new smokers. It’s a time of experimentation and heavy socialising, after all. It is usually where most people pick up the habit.

But the fact is that, contrary to popular opinion, smoking increases your stress levels. Another problem is that a lot of students smoke while they study, or take smoking breaks for the duration of the study period. This creates an association in your brain between academic work and nicotine. Smoking affects your ability to concentrate. You should consider quitting and finding a healthier way of managing your stress.

My Say

Students today are indeed living in stressful times. With the high level of competition and expectation going on to perform and excel, it is no wonder that most are feeling the pressure. A stressed student should make it a habit to take better care of himself/herself to survive this challenging stage.