Finals week is a national epidemic. For universities across the U.S. it is the most important and least favorite time of the year for students. Students seen the few weeks or days preparing for the tests that determine if the work that had put in for the semester pays off.
The nights for the students began to blur as they loose sleep and run off of energy drinks and coffee. Countless hours of reading through quizlets, quizzing yourself with flashcards, writing out study guides, and reading through notes over and over. While studying is important and getting good grades, getting good sleep before the test is important too. Hoe can sleep when you are so worried about failing your test and you feel like you should still be studying?
I have been there. I have tried to sleep on multiple occasions and couldn't because I was worried about my test so I tossed and turned for hours and was tired all during the test. Theres one thing I learned about finals and sleeping, if you paid attention, you know the material, and you have studied you have done what you could to prepare yourself for the test. There is no reason you should make your self sick and sleep deprived over one test that plays only a part in your learning. In most cases it doesn't affect your future as much s you think it does.
The best thing you can do while studying is too take breaks and give your brain time to store everything. There is no need to overwhelm yourself and packing so much information in one time that you can't remember it later on when you need it. Other things that can help are studying with friends so you can take turns quizzing each other while when your reading the questions you can give your brain a break while still reading and learning the information even though you aren't thinking about it. Also studying with friends allows you to feel more laid back and able to take breaks easier. It helps you stress less, as well as giving you more options to study in a less intense environment.
If you have a hard time studying with other people study while listening to music, not rap or pop, but instrumental and slow music. It helps you focus while keeping you calm and can also help you relax enough before bed tat you can sleep. If this doesn't help with the sleep you can try and meditate, or counting sheep, focus on something other then your stress. Focus on your breathing and how you can do it.
The best thing you can do for yourself during the week of finals is step back and breath and get a good nights rest even if it means studying just a little less.
