How to Stay Awake to Study for Nursing Exams

How to Stay Awake to Study for Nursing Exams Nursing students are frequently faced with lack of time during exam periods.

Having to deal with a lot of books and notes, they will fall into a series of endless studying hours. This leads to improper management of sleep, which typically worsens when a student starts studying.

Here are the most common approaches that have been found effective amongst students when it comes to mindful, awake studying:          

Healthy eating regime/breakfast Reduce daily energy consumption No coffee or energy drinks Body resting Elimination of sources of distraction Correct sitting position To do list Emphasize topics (underlining or coloring) Creative approach Light physical engagement

Related: Interesting Medical Myths Healthy eating regime/breakfast It all starts with healthy attitudes. Breakfast is considered to be the first milestone to be achieved once a student is looking to stay up late to study.

Once a nursing student is eating healthy and in proper abundance in terms of calories, vitamins and carbs, they will then have the best energetic source to keep up through the day. It is usually recommended to snack throughout the day in order to maintain a steady amount of energy.

Reduce daily energy consumption Studying overnight is a challenge to most students. Humans have been biologically raised to sleep and not be active during night hours. It is difficult for the mind to easily absorb information during these hours. What it is usually recommended relates to reducing daytime energy consumption.

Nursing students should be reducing daily activities that require mind and body involvement. This energy can be used during night hours for studying purposes. However, complete inactivity will lead to feeling even more tired.

No coffee or energetic beverages Having a cup of coffee is usually associated with the idea that you will be gaining mental alertness. It is believed to be true when coffee is consumed during daily hours, but, once it is consumed later at night, it does not stand

as a fact. Having coffee during night hours can stimulate sleep. Energetic drinks are considered to have a similar impact once they are consumed during night hours. Nursing students should avoid these beverages and switch to very cold water instead. Water supports blood circulation that supplies oxygen to the brain and helps the individuals stay awake and alert even during night hours. The colder the water, the better. It will keep your mind and body alert.

Body resting If you are confident in your ability to study at night, you should be compensating these sleeping hours during the morning or the afternoon. The body needs to switch into relax mode in order to be alert enough for you to study during the night hours. It is very important to rest for a couple of hours during the day, in order for our efficiency during studying time.

Related: How to Express a Complaint or Concern Elimination of sources of distraction One of the most challenging achievements during studying at any time of day is the complete avoidance of the sources of distraction. Considering our individuality as human beings, it very difficult to generalise the type of the distractions, but the most common ones include:  TV  Music  Cooking/ Eating  Phone/Tablet/ PC Once you have decided to be fully dedicated to the studying process, you should immediately get rid of these appliances or sources of distraction before sitting down to study.

Correct sitting position In case you are prone to studying during night hours, you should be careful in choosing the correct sitting position. The best and efficient sitting position is in a chair, not on the or in bed. You want to avoid switching your body and mind into sleep mode. Books and notebooks should be situated on the table as per order of importance, in such a way for you to be alert and concentrated.

To do list When sitting down and about to start studying, students are suggested to compile their own to do list. This way, you can be aware of the complete list

of topics you have to cover, and you can sort these topics as per order of importance. Considering the fact that one night will not be enough to absorb all the information learned during the semester, the selection process is a must. Other non-relevant topics might be able to wait until later.

Emphasize topics (underlining or coloring) Whenever studying during the night, you should be keeping notes as well.

Yes, in addition to your notes you already took! Write down the most important topics covered in the lecture. Another approach to this method would be underlining these hot spots in the book or coloring the main headings or subheadings relevant to their importance. This method will allow you proper orientation once you come back to the same lecture.

Creative approach In order for your mind to be alert and concentrated during nighttime hours, it is recommended to stimulate it. Our human mind is highly attracted by creativity. Taking that into consideration, you should be creating and inventing last-minute approaches on how to make your mind stay awake.

Switching between topics from time to time might be an option to be considered in terms of creativity. You might start building up schemas or structures if the type of lecture you are dealing with allows you. This method is also memory-supportive in terms of visual aids.

Light physical engagement Sitting down for several hours in a row at night might prove to be difficult.

You should periodically get up and have short, active breaks. These short breaks should be associated with light physical engagement. Physical activities can fresh up the mind and make it more alert and focused. Even just taking a short walk will help you.

Considering our individuality as human beings, these approaches might not result similarly for everyone, but they are certainly the most effective.

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