Countering Finals Stress With Exercise, Nutrition and Rest

For Terps juggling exam prep, paper deadlines and group projects, grabbing a bag of Cheetos and hunching over a laptop for an all-nighter might seem more conducive to success than heading to the dining hall, hitting the gym or—the dream—getting enough sleep.

But taking care of yourself amid the finals-week stress can be its own form of studying, said Tami Lee, University Recreation and Wellness’ assistant director for fitness and wellness.

“One of the most common misconceptions this time of year is things like physical activity and sleep can wait or they’re a waste of time,” she said. “Our memory consolidation happens when we sleep. Exercise is shown to lead to lead directly—and even immediately—to improved focus. If we’re skipping the sleep and we’re skipping the exercise, we’re really putting ourselves in a place where all of that studying we did isn’t having the most impact.”

She and Mary Kate Crawford, associate director of programs at RecWell, offered tips to promote wellness this week and bolster both physical and mental health:

NUTRITION

Set the tone: We’ve all heard the “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” cliché, but starting a full meal schedule in the morning not only fuels the body and mind, but also helps you fall asleep at night, Crawford said.

Keep up the carbs: Balanced meals featuring proteins, healthy fats and—yes—the oft-avoided carbohydrates keep us full, satisfied and energized, Lee said. “We hear a lot of information and diets out there that say, ‘Cut those carbs.’ Any time you need your brain to work hard like finals week, we need to make sure we’re certainly consuming carbohydrates.”

Snack smart: It’s not uncommon for Lee to hear from students who forgot to eat amid the finals-week tornado. “That certainly does not help our brain, doesn’t help our sleep, doesn’t help us with anything,” she said. “Have full meals when you can, but keeping those snacks during study breaks are really important, too.”