So, it’s getting to that time of the year when the tests begin to loom over us. We had those nice few weeks—we didn’t read through the chapters, didn’t look over our notes at the end of the day—and now we’re scrambling to get study guides together and learned to a tee.
When you’re up, there are some good things you can snack on in order to help support your brain and body in memorizing those functions for your math class.
Choose whole grains with a low-GI (a low score on the glycemic index – a scale that was originally designed to help diabetics keep blood sugar levels under better control) and they’ll give you the steady, slow release of glucose into your bloodstream, which will give you the energy to keep going on those long nights. You can find low-GI grains in whole grain cereals, whole bran, granary bread, and brown pastas.
It’s the right season for it, so go grab some pumpkin seeds or anything made from pumpkins. Well, not that pumpkin spice donut or Frappuccino, but something made straight from pumpkins. They’re a great source of zinc, which enhances memory and thinking skills.
I know not many like it, but grab some broccoli from the Healthy Option line at Russell. It’s a source of Vitamin K, which enhances cognitive function and improves brainpower.
If you sitting around at night and don’t want to eat too many of these heavy foods, grab a handful of any type of nuts. They’re full of Vitamin E and might help to prevent cognitive decline. Other great sources of Vitamin E include leafy greens, asparagus, eggs, brown rice, and those whole grains again.
Also, remember that the neurotransmitters in your brain run on amino acids, which are derived from the proteins in your diet, so eat high-protein foods like cheese, eggs, nuts, meat, or some power bars rather than those high-carbohydrate chips or cookies. Don’t go grabbing a cookie at 11 p.m. when you haven’t eaten in a couple hours – those sugary foods digest quickly on an empty stomach and leave you without the energy that you require.
Keep hydrated. Instead of going for a sugary soda, get a bottle of water. Drink at least half of a liter every hour. Dehydration can lead to fatigue and keep you from being able to focus. Also, if you’re feeling anxious about your test, take an orange and squeeze some of the juice into your water. It will reduce your anxiety and improve your mood, as well as assisting in keeping you alert and calm.
Don’t eat right before you go to sleep! You should eat last at least two hours before you go to bed. Having food in your stomach while you sleep leads to gastric reflux (meaning that your body is working to digest all night instead of giving you that energy back) and you wake up just as tired as when you were before you went to sleep.
Eat smart and study hard!