Prepare yourselves, y’all: finals are upon us. Just the thought of all the impending mountains of finals and term papers is enough to make you just feel like you may as well go ahead and pitch a tent outside of Stirling’s. Or worse, you might even be tempted to resort to the use (or overuse) of stimulant medications to try and keep yourself awake. But Karen Tharp, RN, director of University Health Services, warns against relying on caffeine or medication to make it through finals week, affectionately known as “hell week”:
“When students use stimulant medications like Adderall (whether or not it is prescribed to them**) to help them study…along with lattes, red bulls, and whatever other energy drinks are out there, it eventually catches up with them,” she told Her Campus Sewanee. “What we see in the [Health Services] office is intense anxiety paired with hypertension (high blood pressure) and tachycardia (high heart rate). As you can understand, dealing with these symptoms when they are out of control, right before a final or during the time that a final is scheduled, can be pretty devastating.”
So, before you get to the point where you just can’t even, take a deep breath and try out these tried-and-true techniques for boosting energy and reducing fatigue…no medication or caffeine required.
1. Chew a piece of gum. No, seriously – a 2012 study found that people who chewed a piece of gum for 15 minutes were more alert than those who didn’t. Evidently, smacking on a stick of Juicy Fruit is enough to increase your heart rate and get blood flowing to the brain.
2. Blue light bulbs. It’s a no-brainer that bright lights keep you awake – but not all lights are created equal, according to a 2013 study. Fluorescents, like the quasi-hospital lights in the library basement, tend to make you irritable. Blue light bulbs, on the other hand, give you more of a calming alertness. Try switching out the incandescent bulb on your desk for a blue bulb and you’re likely to be more alert and productive.
3. Belt out your favorite song. A study in London found that singing one of your favorite songs releases nearly as much stress as a 30-minute cardio workout. Okay, so maybe you’re like me and you couldn’t carry a tune if you put it in a bucket, but still, sing loud like nobody’s listening and I promise you’ll feel better and ready to study. (But remember to at least try and find a place where you won’t disturb your fellow studiers. Especially if you’re in the ATC, aka the noise police headquarters. Don’t sing there. Thank me later.)
P.S. This Buzzfeed article has 20 perfect songs for you to get jiggy with it!
4. Massage your ears. This is not a joke. If you slightly squeeze the rim of your ear between the thumb and forefinger, and rub up and down for about 30 seconds, that supposedly invigigorates the “acupuncture meridians” (scientist lingo for energy zones) and gets your energy flowing. I, personally, have a sneaking suspicion this is one of those pat-your-head-and-jump-on-one-foot tricks to make you look silly. But hey, when you’re knee-deep in textbooks with no end in sight, you know you’ll try anything.
5. Write a thank you note. It’s scientifically proven: letter-writing requires you to think happy thoughts, because you have to think about what you’re grateful for (in other words, it takes the mind off the fact that you are NOT grateful for the calc final you’re studying for). It then requires you to channel those happy thoughts onto a piece of paper and mail that piece of paper off to someone you love. You’ll have all the feels, the recipient of the letter will have all the feels, and you just spent a fifteen minute study break making somebody smile, instantly putting you in a better mood than you were before.
6. Look at pictures of cute animals. LET US ALL REJOICE! Because now we have a scientifically legitimate excuse to look at pictures of cute animals instead of studying. There is a Japenese scientist (who literally may as well be a god) who did an array of studies and found that human subjects who looked at pictures of cute baby animals responded with significantly higher levels of attention to detail, as well as a boost in overall performance, as opposed to subjects who clearly drew the short straw and didn’t get to look at baby animals. Read the whole study for yourself here, and in the meantime, go here to look at pictures of cute baby animals. It’ll be hard, I know, but suck it up.
7. Eat chocolate. The thought of having to leave my desk to go to the Globe and get a warm chocolate chip cookie, when instead I could remain with my nose in my books drifting off, just sounds like TORTURE. But, if I absolutely have to eat chocolate just to stay awake, I might just push myself to do it. Dark chocolate in particular has been proven to improve mental performance, boost happy moods, and increase focus.
8. Take a lap, not an Adderall. Several studies show that even moderate exercise does more to improve energy and reduce overall fatigue than prescription stimulant medications. A lap or two around duPont will clear your head, invigorate your senses, and wake you up—without the potentially dangerous side effects of amphetamines (see note at end of article).
9. Fill your Clurg plate with superfoods. A quick Google search of “foods that help increase brain activity” reveals snacks that sound more like they belong in a pig trough than on a dinner plate (oat straw extracts? rhodiola? wtf?). Luckily, Chef Rick Wright stocks plenty of options right in our own dining hall that are scientifically proven to give you the good, healthy energy you need for finals week: fish (short-term and long-term memory), tomatoes (attention span, logic skills, problem-solving skills and concentration), strawberries (brain cleansing), broccoli (bone health – you’ll need good posture as you’re bent over your desk studying), and pumpkin seeds (boosting memory and increasing mental speed). #eatwellbewell
Hey Ron, try throwing broccoli at your face instead of a burger and maybe you wouldn’t always be so grumpy! (Totally kidding…Ron, you keep doing you. Never change.)
So, your workload may be worrying, but your mindset doesn’t have to be. Be confident, be prepared, but most of all, be conscious of your health—both physical and intellectual. After all, what’s the best way to eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
** The abuse of prescription medications like Adderall is a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Aside from the legal consequences, there are serious physical ramifications of amphetamine abuse, including cardiac arrest, severe mental defects, and even death. Regardless of how desparate you are to do well on finals, you should never resort to the improper use of prescription medications. The University Wellness Center is always available to help students find alternative ways to manage fatigue and mitigate stress without the need for Rx drugs. You can reach them at (931) 598-1270.