December is quickly approaching, and for most college students that can only mean one thing: finals week. It would be rare not to find students studying endlessly in the library or pulling all-nighters to memorize and comprehend every piece of material. Stress is also at a maximum level for some students. Between the colder temperatures, late nights and poor food choices due to lack of time, the immune system can be easily compromised. As difficult as it may seem, staying as healthy as possible during finals is beneficial both short and long term. Here are some ways to keep your immune system strong so you can stay healthy all winter long.
Catch Some ZZZs
As much as an all-nighter seems like the best idea for every one of your finals, it’s not. If you feel that this is a must, choose your most difficult final for one all-night study session. The healthier option would be to plan out as many study sessions as you can ahead of your finals. For example, if you have a Wednesday final, you should complete all the heavy studying two days before with a short refresher course the day or night before. Doing this allows you to get as many hours of sleep in as possible.
Rain Check The Junk Food
Eating healthy can be a real struggle during finals week. In order to maximize study time, quick food options might seem like the best. This tends to be mostly fast-food or low quality meals instead of healthy and high protein foods. Not only do healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables and protein, maintain a healthy immune system, but they also help to maintain high levels of energy and focus for studying. If you want a quick and healthy option, try a protein bar, a piece of fruit or a handful of high-protein seeds. Any of these, along with many more, are significantly better than anything in the fast-food category.
Start Taking a Supplement
While taking vitamins does not seem fun and another item on your list of things to remember to do, vitamins have come a long way. Many daily vitamins come in gummy form with great fruit flavors to make the experience fun and tasty. If you struggle to remember things like this, set an alarm or reminder on your phone with a snooze in case you are in the middle of something important. If you are not into taking vitamins, options like Airborne or Emergen-C are also great alternative to take for a short amount of time. This has long-term benefits if you are inclined to keep up with the habit. However, at the very least, you can keep your immune system strong a high-stress period.
Stress Management
One of the main themes of finals week is stress. Students stress about knowing all the information that could possibly be on the test, what grade is needed to maintain overall class grades and how your GPA will turn out in the end. Luckily, there are many options to de-stress. Reading a book for fun rather than your textbook or working out are two possibilities. These are potentially more time consuming options for when you have the ability to take longer breaks. If you don’t feel like you have the time, simple meditation or deep breathing exercises are great quick options to lower stress levels. A few deep breaths or closing your eyes to really focus your mind on breathing can diminish all the building stress. This is another tip that, if maintained over a longer period, can have long-term benefits. Finals are certainly not the only time you will come across stress in your life. Knowing how to manage it can protect your health for a lifetime.
Even if you only try one of these tips to protect your immune system, the likelihood of getting sick will decrease. No one wants to be sick during finals week.
