Do you get sick around your exams every semester? Here’s why and how to fix it.
The further I get in my degree at SFU, the more I notice myself falling prey to flu-like symptoms. It’s become an inside joke in my family that I’ll get sick every December and April.
Coincidence?
Science says otherwise.
Research has uncovered that the student immune system is somewhat of a phenomenon. Back in the ‘90s, Glaser and colleagues brought this to light when they studied medical students in the month leading up to their exam dates. Here, they found that the functioning of the students’ immune systems dropped significantly around their tests. As it turns out, an increase in academic stress is the likely culprit. [1]
Needless to say, you’re not alone if you find yourself running out of tissues when prepping for a tough final.
Fast forwarding to 2020, a study at Cambridge headed by Lorinda Turner re-investigated the student immune system. Unsurprisingly, this team also discovered that students were more susceptible to illness around exams due to academic anxiety.[2] Their findings provide some comfort in knowing that students from across the pond are suffering right along with us.
With the problem now identified, Turner and colleagues didn’t stop there. Instead, the researchers tested out ways to alleviate exam stress.
Here’s what they found worked:
- Practicing Mindfulness
As a psychology major, Mindfulness has become a hot word in the field and that’s probably for a reason. It’s a technique shown to help reduce stress and increase coping skills through meditation. If you’re interested in how the students from Turner’s work turned their stress around, it may be worth your while to give Mindfulness a shot.
The students in Turner’s study used this Mindfulness manual, available on amazon*:
Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Mark Williams
*this product is not sponsored
But if you’ve tried Mindfulness and it didn’t float your boat, no worries. Here are a couple more suggestions backed by science:
- Self-hypnosis
These days, hypnosis means something a lot different than someone waving a pocket watch in front of your face. You can reach a state of hypnosis all by yourself and there may be benefits to that for your state of mind.
Gruzelier’s 2003 study on students highlights how hypnosis can boost your mental and physical wellness during exam season. [3]
Want to give it a try? Here are some easy-to-manage practices from Katie Abbott, a professional cognitive hypnotherapist.
- Massage Therapy
With COVID-19 still circulating, you may want to consider massage therapy a future suggestion. That said, if and when it’s safe to do so, I’d give this method a try. Here’s why:
Zeitlin and colleagues examined the impact of massage therapy on college women. After treatments, immune responsivity in the students went up. The women in their study also reported dramatic improvement in academically related stress following RMT. [4]
Financial Tip: If you’re an SFU student in BC, here’s a link to your medical benefits for massage therapy with I Have a Plan.
College students experience a lot of pressure. From finances to work-study balance to academic standing to about a million other factors, student life is bound to leave you feeling overwhelmed from time to time.
If you’re like me, that can affect more than just your mental health.
That said, there are so many ways to take care of yourself and I hope this article helped you in find a strategy that works for you.
Here’s to a healthier exam season in 2021!