Studying isn’t always stimulating — especially after a long day in class or at work, when your brain feels ready to shut down.
If simply staying awake while studying seems harder than quantum physics, try one of the following nine strategies to help you be alert and focused.
Movement is a well-documented energy booster. In addition to helping you stay awake, it may also help relieve exam-time stress and improve your ability to actually remember what you study.
A 2018 study of students of all ages — ranging from elementary school to college — found that 10 minutes of walking outdoors significantly improved students’ performance with memory, feature detection, and mathematical problem-solving tasks.
Aim to take a short break every 30 to 50 minutes to walk, dance, or do a few jumping jacks.
Our bodies are attuned to respond to environmental signals such as light and darkness. While the relationship between light and sleep is indirect — it’s possible to fall asleep in a well-lit room or to stay awake in darkness — light is a cue that can help promote wakefulness.
According to a 2017 study of zebrafish, this tendency may come down to a protein that’s activated when we’re exposed to light.
When it comes to studying, try to mimic a daytime environment with plenty of light. If it’s dark outside, a single lamp or overhead light might not be enough to keep you alert.
It might be tempting to get comfortable while studying, but it won’t help you stay awake.
Lying down is associated with increased activity in the parasympathetic nervous system, known for its role in functions such as “rest and digest.”
In contrast, sitting upright is associated with sympathetic nervous system activity. The sympathetic nervous system controls functions such as alertness.
A 2014 study analyzed whether sitting upright or lying down affected performance on a test of working memory.
The authors reported that when participants were lying down for the test, their self-reported sleep quality negatively affected their performance. Sleep quality didn’t affect performance when participants were sitting upright.
How does this relate to studying? If you’re feeling tired, sitting up may help you stay focused and alert.
You may also want to try standing up instead of sitting while you’re studying. Standing and moving around from time to time may help boost your blood circulation. This, in turn, may prevent you from getting sleepy.
If you live in a dorm room or shared apartment, the most convenient place to study might also happen to be the place where you usually sleep.
But it’s best to avoid studying in any place that you associate with sleep, which could leave you feeling drowsy.
When possible, study somewhere else, such as a library, coffee shop, or a dedicated, well-lit area of your home away from your bedroom.
By keeping studying and sleep areas separate, you’ll also be making it easier to turn off your brain when it’s time to go to bed.
Fatigue or sleepiness is sometimes a sign of dehydration. But dehydration won’t just drain your energy — it may also disrupt cognitive functions, making studying difficult.
A 2010 review examined dehydration, including its effects on brain function. The authors reported that mild to moderate levels of dehydration might impair short-term memory, concentration, mathematical ability, alertness, and perception.
To ensure that you don’t doze off while studying, stay hydrated throughout the day. This is especially important if you’re physically active or live in a warm climate.
While how much you should drink varies from person to person, aim for around half a gallon per day.
What and how much you eat affects your energy levels.
While it may be tempting to treat yourself while studying, it won’t help you stay awake. Sugary snacks and junk food can make your blood sugar spike and then crash, leaving you feeling sluggish.
On the other hand, if you forget to eat or eat too much, you might find yourself dozing off.
Instead, aim for a diet of small but frequent meals. Make sure each meal contains protein, a complex carbohydrate, and a source of healthy fat.
Some examples include:
Reading and rereading class notes or a textbook might not be enough to keep you awake, let alone absorb information.
Keep yourself awake — and get the most out of your study sessions — by using active study techniques. To do this, try one or more of the following:
Avoid nodding off by talking through the material with a classmate, friend, or study group.
Not only is social studying more motivating and stimulating, it can also offer new perspectives and interpretations of class materials. Ask someone to explain a confusing concept to you, or solidify your own understanding by teaching the material to a peer.
If you prefer to study individually, you might find that simply studying in the presence of other people makes it easier to avoid falling asleep.
Sleep plays an important role in mood, attention, motivation, and memory — all of which affect learning. It’s no surprise then that poor sleep is associated with poor academic performance.
In fact, making sleep a priority — both in the short- and the long-term — might be the most effective way to stay alert when you’re studying.
In a 2019 study, students were presented with detailed factual information over 5 hours. Midway through the 5-hour period, they either took a 1-hour nap, watched a film, or crammed the information. They were tested on the material 30 minutes after the end of the learning period and 1 week after the end of the learning period.
The researchers found that after 30 minutes, students who had either crammed or napped were able to recall the information better than students who had watched a film. However, after 1 week, only the students who had napped maintained better recall of the information.
Make time for naps, and stick to a regular sleep schedule to help make studying easier.
Staying alert and focused can be challenging when you need to study, especially at the end of a long day. But there are ways to boost your wakefulness and avoid nodding off in the middle of a study session.
The key is to adopt healthy habits, like staying hydrated, eating regular balanced meals, getting exercise, and prioritizing your sleep whenever possible.
Other strategies that may help include studying with friends in a well-lit area, avoiding your bedroom, and using active learning techniques.
By India Today Web Desk: The biggest question that arises during board exams or competitive exams is how to stop falling asleep while studying.
Over the years, most of us have heard of top students boasting about their capacity to study long hours at a stretch or studying throughout the night with no sleep at all. But you should NEVER try to force yourself to stay awake all through the night before your exams as it is deep sleep or REM sleep that turns what you studied into long-term memory.
Here are 17 tips to stop falling asleep during studies and keep yourself awake and focused for board exam preparations:
1. Stick to a healthy dietFood which is high on fat can make you sleepy and lethargic. To stop yourself from falling asleep during studies, eat a balanced and healthy diet rich in nutrients and fibre such as soups and salads, lentils and a lot of fruits and vegetables.
If you want to boost your sugar levels, don't eat cakes and chocolates; rather, go for fruits rich in sugar such as apples, oranges and bananas.
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Lean proteins are great for energy as well try snacking on granola or some trail mix or chomp an energy bar full of nuts and seeds.
The main cause of feeling sleepy while studying is not getting enough sleep at night. Sleeping 7 to 8 hours every night is mandatory to keep in good health.
Do not oversleep or under-sleep and stick to a sleeping schedule so that your brain is prepared to start feeling sleepy at the same time each night.
Sleeping 7 to 8 hours every night is mandatory to keep in good health and stop falling asleep while studying.
3. Take power napsIt is understandable if you cannot get the requisite amount of sleep at night during board exams. But you need to make up for it in the middle of the day.
Whenever you feel too sleepy, take a break from studies and go for a 20- to 30-minute power nap.
The short burst of energy will help you focus after you wake up.
4. Drink enough waterAnother reason you might be falling asleep while studying is because you are not drinking enough water.
But as per a study, dehydration can literally shrink your brain!
It is easy to lose track of time and not drink enough water during board exams or competitive exams. To tackle this, keep a full bottle of cold water on your study desk at all times and keep sipping it throughout the day.
You should drink 2 litres of water a day. You can fill a 2-litre bottle and aim to finish it by the time you sleep.
5. Get up and move aroundApart from taking power naps, another thing you can do if you are feeling sleepy while studying is getting up and moving around for a short while. You don't need to hit the gym, but just need to get your blood flowing.
You can stretch and dance around to a favourite song or just take a walk outside for 10 minutes. You can even take your book and study while walking around in your room.
6. Don't study too long at a stretchDespite what people might say about studying for 5-6 hours at a go, it is almost impossible to do so without losing concentration.
The optimal period of studying continuously is 2 hours. Every 2-hour period can be broken down again into 25 minutes of studying followed by 5 minutes of break.
During this time, get up and stretch or do a short breathing exercise. After every 2 hours, you can take longer breaks of around 20 minutes.
7. Read aloud and write moreReading aloud can keep you more engaged than reading in your mind which will help keep you from falling asleep while studying.
Moreover, keep a rough copy beside you wherein you can write the important points of what you are reading. Not only is this the best way to memorise your notes, but it will also keep your body engaged and keep you focused and awake.
Write the important points of what you are reading to keep yourself awake while studying.
8. Rotate your study topicsadvertisement
Sometimes studying the same subject or topic for too long can make you very sleepy.
When you start facing difficulty keeping awake while studying, shift to another subject or topic that you find more interesting.
This will help keep you awake and focused during board exam preparation. Also, make sure you dont choose to study difficult topics late at night!
9. Don't get too comfortable while studyingA major cause of falling asleep while studying is getting too comfortable. The main tip for this would be to not study in your bed. Keep your study area and sleeping area separate so that your brain can clearly differentiate between the two.
Preferably sit on a desk and chair with your back straight. Use bright lights to stay awake and focused while studying.
To boost your concentration and memory, you can change your study spot every day as well, but take care that none of those spots make you too comfortable to start feeling sleepy!
10. Wash your faceOne of the most practical ways to keep awake during board exam preparation is to wash your face whenever feeling sleepy.
This is one of the most tried and tested methods and one which is perhaps most advised by parents around India.
Whenever your eyes feel heavy and you get an itchy feeling, go wash your face with cool water.
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You can also brush your teeth while you're at it. It will leave you feeling awake and refreshed.
11. Talk to yourselfTalking to yourself may sound like crazy advice but it really works! Keep talking to yourself throughout your study sessions to keep yourself awake.
"So what am I going to study now?"
"So I am done with this bit, now I can study ____"
Affirmative sentences like the following can even boost your self confidence and make you more focussed -
"I am going to ace the test tomorrow!"
"I am so well prepared, I will get 90-up for sure!"
12. Guard your eyesGone are the days when we only studied from books and notebooks.
This is the digital era and many students spend hours staring at their computer screen to study whether it is looking at lectures online or reading notes.
Experts recommend looking away from the computer screen every 20 minutes. Close your eyes and slightly press on your lids, open them and focus on a blank wall for some time to keep your eyes from getting fatigued and stop feeling sleepy.
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13. Use chewing gumChewing gum is very bad for your teeth but if you absolutely have to, keep a packet with you and pop one in whenever you are feeling sleepy while studying.
There are fewer chances of you dozing off in the middle of study sessions if your mouth is working constantly.
14. Drink caffeinated beveragesDrinking coffee or other drinks with caffeine can boost your energy, but be warned that the energy spurt can be short lived. Moreover, too much caffeine is bad for you. You shouldnt drink more than 500-600mg of caffeine in a day.
One 8-ounce cup of coffee has a little lesser than 100mg of caffeine; so even out total amount throughout the day.
Stay away from chugging energy drinks as you are bound to crash after the effects have worn off.15. Study with others
If you aren't studying alone, there is a very small chance that you will doze off in the middle of a study session.
Studying with a group of friends can be distracting, but it can also help you prepare for your board exams better if all of you in the study group can discipline yourselves enough to not get distracted from study topics.
Your friends can quiz you on your preparation or help you understand concepts that aren't clear to you yet.
16. Put on some musicYou can put on some study music as well that helps balance your brain waves and improve concentration. Sometimes, if you are feeling sleepy while studying, you can change the music to something very upbeat.
While this may not help you concentrate on your studies as opposed to relaxing study music, it is sure to wake you up from your stupor!
17. Try acupressureA new-age way to keep yourself awake while studying for board exams is to use acupressure.
When you start feeling too sleepy, use a short break to tap on the 5 central pressure points on the human body the top of your head, the back of your hands, just below the knees, the top of the back of your neck, and the bottom of your feet.
Check out a YouTube video to know exactly how you can do this. Shortly, you will find your fatigue dissipating and energy returning to you.
We hope these tips help you stay awake while studying for your board exams, all the best!
Read: 10 tips to study effectively before exams if you have a lot of syllabus left
Read: Brain-boosting foods every student needs to eat to stay sharp
Read: 9 tips to increase concentration power and turn your kid into a genius
Read: How to manage mental health during exams: Top tips from a psychiatrist
Whether we like it or not, the labor market is changing, and employers are increasing the requirements for employees.
Innovations and trends are characteristic of almost all areas, and the knowledge that higher education provides is often not enough. To be in demand, you will have to engage in self-study at the age of 20, and at 40, and even in retirement. Otherwise, there will be someone who will do your job better than you.
Experts say that in the next five years, the Kazakh labor market is waiting for a boom in professional certifications. Instead of a diploma, the employer will ask the employee for an international certificate confirming his competence. Whether you decide to learn a foreign language, improve your skills, or master another specialty, you will need to memorize a lot of new information. We tell you how to do it more efficiently. Let's start with the basics of self-learning.
The more responsibilities, the more difficult it is to find an extra hour for training. Remember, every free minute counts. If your smartphone is not useful for studying, put it away.
The same goes for social media and email. The more you spread your attention, the longer you will have to focus on work each time. At best, you will lose a few minutes, and at worst, you will not achieve results. To avoid this, choose a time for classes when you are most productive, and set a schedule for checking mail and instant messengers. For example, 10 minutes in the morning or in the afternoon.
Try to divide your tasks into two lists according to the method of American billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Write down 20-25 things you have planned for the next week and choose the 5 most important ones. The first list will consist of them, the rest will go to the second. Forget about it until you complete the priority tasks, and only then take on secondary tasks. The same principle works in teaching. Understand what you need to learn first and the rest will have to wait.
Comfort does not stimulate us to learn more, stress, on the contrary, activates the parts of the brain responsible for the assimilation of new knowledge.
This can be compared to being in an unfamiliar country, when in the first days everything is new and you need to communicate with the locals in order to get your bearings. Leaving your comfort zone is easier than you think.
If you are learning a foreign language, visit a place where native speakers gather and practice, watch foreign films and news. A portion of reasonable stress will also provide you with a difficult task, for which you will need to study something, a change in your personal schedule, or the company of people who understand something better than you. Lots of options, try it.
At school we were told that while we were writing, we automatically memorized some of the new information. Alas, this is not always the case. Without a thought process, we only translate paper. Much more information will remain in memory if you become a creative editor of your notes. To do this, you need to learn how to weed out the excess, reduce and write down your own conclusions.
If you add a little imagination to the process and make a connection between new knowledge and your experience, the information will be stored for a long time. Tony Buzan's mind maps and the scribing method can help with this. The first technique proposes to systematize all the key information in the form of a diagram, highlighting the main links and drawing logical connections between them. Scribing works in a similar way, in addition, it involves imaginative thinking and associations. You do not need to be a great artist to draw a little in a notebook, remembering the meaning of new concepts and terms through simple pictures combined into a diagram.
Remembering everything at once is unrealistic, because the brain processes new knowledge and connects it with the existing ones. A new associative chain appears in memory, and this takes time, at least one day. Therefore, information must be repeated at intervals. On the first day, repeat the material immediately after training, so after 15-20 minutes and after 6-8 hours, preferably before bedtime.
Don't forget to review what you've learned within a week. To memorize foreign words, flashcards or mobile applications are useful. Another proven way to train your memory is to tell friends, relatives and acquaintances what you have learned. So you will understand what you forgot and what you remember.
When you don't get enough sleep or fall down from fatigue after work, the brain does not want to learn. If you want to keep up with everything and remember well, you need to restore strength in time. Knowledge is fixed in memory during the deep sleep phase, so it is important to fall asleep within 12 hours after learning.
Any physical exercise will also help in memorization. Increased blood circulation stimulates brain activity, and it also relieves lethargy. The hippocampus is responsible for long-term memory in the brain - a paired formation located in both hemispheres, where new nerve cells are formed. For their construction and strengthening of old cells, a special type of protein is responsible, the production of which is stimulated by training.
Use all available and interesting ways and resources in your learning. In addition to classic classes and online courses, search for videos and podcasts related to your topic. Surely Telegram and YouTube have thematic channels about your field. The easiest way is to learn languages. Combine the learning process with what interests you by learning new words through videos, series, songs, educational blogs and in the company of foreigners.
We spend most of our lives learning new things. This applies not only to school and university, but also to adult life, when, it would seem, education is a thing of the past.
Pupils and students have to struggle with insurmountable fatigue that prevents them from achieving success. Faced with the desire to lie on the couch, to put off studying until better times, many reproach themselves for their lack of willpower and feel guilty.
To understand why fatigue occurs at the moment when mental activity is required, it is necessary to understand what mechanisms are responsible for this.
Fatigue is a lack of motivation. In other words, you do not see the meaning and benefit for yourself from studying. Learning becomes a daily torment and is accompanied by fatigue, which manifests itself in constant procrastination, distracted attention and low efficiency.
Few people manage to avoid such phenomena. During exams, fatigue is understandable, because preparing for them is stressful for the body. But sometimes you have to deal with a constant feeling of fatigue as soon as you need to study.
If you constantly feel tired when it's time to study, think about it - maybe you are not doing your job? Perhaps, in this way, your body signals that studying at the university is not your sincere desire, but a forced necessity or requirement of your parents.
Psychologists have long faced "burnout" in their studies. The student has a sense of the meaninglessness of learning. This can manifest itself in emotional and physical fatigue. In this case, it is advisable to make sure that there are no medical reasons that could reduce your performance.
We have put together a few tips for you to help make your learning process effective. They are applicable to any learning: at school, for online learning or studying at the university.
It is common for many of us to have a vague idea of the goal we want to see at the end of the training. This prevents us from assessing our effectiveness - how quickly we are moving towards our goal. If we do not see the result, then the motivation will decrease, which means that the body will “sabotage” all our efforts. This is how fatigue sets in.
To clearly see the desired goal, write down the end result and the step-by-step actions to be taken.
Refer to your list and adjust it if necessary. Each time you cross off another item from your plan, you will see how the goal is approaching.
Make a study plan for yourself and identify the most difficult topics. Starting with those that require more effort, you will see the result in the first stages, and this will give you the strength to study the planned volume. Usually, performance is higher in the morning, so it is easier to complete the most difficult tasks in the morning.
Try to study at the same time in order to develop a habit. So it will be easier for you to start learning and not be distracted by chatting with friends or reading social networks.
If you find like-minded people, this can be a good incentive for all participants in the study. The slight competitive effect that comes with co-education won't let you relax.
In this situation, it is important to choose friends with whom you have the same views on studies.
Common interests, the opportunity to ask questions and lead a discussion will make learning interesting and exciting. You can turn study into a game, which will immediately eliminate boredom and fatigue.
This tip is especially important for distance learning. When you are “your own boss”, both excessive attention to study, which will lead to “burnout”, and procrastination are likely.
Procrastination is a phenomenon that is hard to deal with. Surely, you remember the cases when, instead of studying, time was spent browsing social networks, doing small and unimportant household chores. Procrastination is considered the disease of our age.
Fatigue and boredom, like fire, are “afraid” of changing activities. Therefore, do not forget about fitness and regular daily walks. At first glance, it may seem that the more attention is paid to study, the more information can be remembered.
This is an erroneous opinion, because the brain gets tired and cannot absorb new knowledge.
Your memory becomes like a leaky sieve in which nothing lingers. Changing activities is useful because physical activity stimulates the brain and makes learning productive.
A natural response to fatigue is sleepiness. However, do not fight it and deny yourself a dream. Of course, you need to sleep at least 7-8 hours a day. You will be surprised, but a child's need for an afternoon nap will have a positive impact on the volume and quality of the memorized material.
During sleep, knowledge is structured and gets into long-term memory. Even studying at the university allows you to set aside 20-30 minutes for an afternoon nap.
But don't fall into "winter hibernation", devoting 1.5-2 hours a day to sleep. Instead of cheerfulness and clarity of mind, you run the risk of getting even more tired and drowsy.
Often, fatigue is the result of an incorrectly compiled menu. Fast carbs found in buns, sodas and snacks provide an instant energy boost.
But… energy disappears just as quickly, so there is a decline in physical and psychological strength. A new portion of recharging is required, which will also not last long. And then another circle, and another ...
So that food does not play a trick on you, choose protein foods in combination with slow carbohydrates.
Meat, fish, eggs - a necessary source of protein for brain function. And slow carbohydrates, which are found in vegetables, cereals and whole grain bread, will provide you with energy.
Try to have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time. The absence of hunger or, conversely, overeating, will help you focus on your studies immediately after eating.
Along with setting a goal, choose a small gift for yourself. A favorite game, a meeting with friends in a cafe, and just a big cone of chocolate ice cream - anything can be a reward for diligent study.
The anticipation of pleasant emotions will help you not to be distracted and persistently move towards the goal.
