As finals loom, students who procrastinated during the semester will be paying the price, burning the midnight oil into the wee hours of the morn. Many of them will stave off sleep with a caffeine source of choice: coffee, tea, soft drinks or caffeine pills. But while caffeine can keep sleep at bay, it can leave you too wired and jittery to study effectively.
Fortunately, there are better ways to stay awake: wise food choices, exercise and some forms of massage. Of course, if you avoid sleep deprivation in the first place these concerns are moot.
\If you want to talk about keeping your mind fresh, performing at peak mental capacity, the most important thing is sleep,"" said Susan Smith, UW-Madison professor of nutritional sciences. ""The brain needs time to process what it's learned, and when you sleep, your brain rewires its synapses to create long-term memory."" Food and caffeine don't help you remember, she said, so a student who deprives herself of rest and assumes she can effectively cram the night before a test by loading up on caffeine is deluding herself.
Students may also turn to candy to deliver a quick rush, but this is only a short-term solution. Candy has so much sugar that the body's blood sugar levels elevate rapidly, leading to what you might experience as a ""sugar high."" But the rise in blood sugar happens so quickly that the body reacts with swift countermeasures to return blood sugar levels to their usual concentration. The countermeasures are so effective at removing sugar from the bloodstream that blood sugar levels actually drop below their original levels, leading to lethargy and a lack of alertness.
Instead, try dried fruits like raisins or dried apricots, suggested Amy Rettammel, outreach specialist with UW Cooperative Extension and the department of nutrition.
""I'd also recommend whole grains-graham crackers, popcorn, maybe a peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread. The carbohydrates eventually break down into glucose, which is what the brain runs on to keep alert,"" Rettammel said. Exercise is also an effective and healthy pick-me-up, she added.
Exercise is precisely the method of choice for Amanda Saran, a UW-Madison senior studying social work.
""When I have to be up late, I'll exercise, usually by running for half an hour,"" she said. ""It gets the endorphins going and gets me ready to study.""
Some experts suggest caffeine isn't as bad as some people fear. Donna Weihofen is a senior nutritionist with UW Hospitals, who said there are no known health problems associated with caffeine.
""If you're not used to it, a lot of caffeine will make you jittery, but if you're used to it, there's no problem,"" she said.
But suppose you're nodding off in class, where you can't exercise or eat a peanut butter sandwich. Is there anything you can do to fight off drowsiness but still be mentally alert? Absolutely.
In Bugs Bunny cartoons, when Elmer Fudd can't figure out where Bugs is hiding, he signals his confusion by scratching his head. There is actually logic behind that-scratching your head stimulates blood flow to your scalp, which indirectly brings more blood to your brain, which can make you feel clearheaded. So in class, rest your head in one hand and use your fingers to gently but firmly scratch your scalp, which should help you avoid feeling drowsy. You might look a little foolish, but not as foolish as nodding off in front of the professor.
If you're somewhere where you can take your shoes off, you can also massage the bottom of your feet. Again, this stimulates blood flow to your feet, but for your heart to increase blood flow all the way to your feet, it will have to increase blood flow throughout your entire body, including your brain.
The best way to study, though, is to do what our parents always nag us to do: study regularly every day instead of procrastinating and cramming. The brain retains information better when it is reinforced with repetition. With that, good luck on finals, folks, and have a safe break.
