On each day there are two periods when the body has natural tendency towards
sleeping. Those two periods are during the late night hours (between midnight
and 7 am)and again during the mid afternoon (between 1 pm and 4 pm) when
people are awake during these two times , they fall asleep unintentionally. This
happens especially if an individual does not get enough rest.
Tips to avoid sleep during these times :-
Avoid physical exertion during the day.
Do not have a heavy meal . In case you have heavy meal you are certain to
feel lazy as a general rule you hit the bed. Your focus and retention power
decreases because of over abundant utilization of food. Generally an early lunch
and dinner is prescribed for student but do not skip dinners or go without food.
Study becomes more difficult with an empty stomach. Mostly students feel
hungry after continuous study. If this happens then some quick snacks are
recommended . Fruits are also the best late night snacks.
Take a nap during day time.
Maintain proper time for things .If you want to avoid sleep while studying
you need to maintain a proper time for everything. You need to maintain a proper
time for sleeping, studying and eating. Sleep and food are necessary for a healthy
life. Sleep while studying is a poor health condition. When your health and fitness
levels are low you feel sleepy after some time due to lack of stamina and
concentration. Therefore you should keep your mind and body healthy to
maximize your stamina and concentration level.
Go to bed early at night and rise early in the morning.
Eat frequently if you want to avoid sleep while studying. You need to make a
change in your eating patterns. Rather than eating three large meals a day, try
eating 5-7 smaller meals throughout the day. This will continuously provide the
body with more nutrients and vitamins which will help in staying focused.
Too much intake of caffeine can make you a bit too much active and
worsen your night sleep which will induce sleep in the day time. Therefore you
should limit the intake of coffee to 2-3 cups or less per day.
Eat omega 3s . It is helpful in keeping a person awake. If you are feeling sleepy
eat omega 3 rich foods like fish ,walnuts, roasted flax seeds etc.
Take magnesium supplements. Out of the many reasons of feeling sleepy
while studying , one is due to basic lack of vitamins and minerals in the body.
Avoid fatty meals ( eating heavy meals can make the mind and the body
sluggish.
During study hours do not drink milk , instead of milk you can take juicy
fruits like orange and grapes.
Take nap when you are feeling sleepy during studying. You can also go for short
nap instead of longer nap. Shorter and timed naps will just provide the body more
energy .
Do’s and do not :-
Eating an apple just before the start of studies is very helpful.
Eating rice before studying should be avoided as it will make you doze.
Keep away from burgers , hot dogs ,pizza, aerated drinks, sandwich, deep fried
food.
Avoid cookies, cakes, chocolates ,deserts ,candies etc.
Avoid any new food.
Starchy vegetables makes you lethargic and sleepy so avoid potato, arbi etc.
Avoid bread, maida products which make you more sleepy.
Have iodized salt.
You should eat brainy food like walnuts, fish, fresh fruits, dark green vegetables
etc.
Diet Plan :-
Breakfast (should be rich in protein) :-
Oats salty or oats with milk or upma or dosa or idlis or dhokla or wheat porridge
or khichdi these are low glycemic index which provide a constant and steady
supply of glucose (Do not take breakfast in larger amount).
After 2 hours of breakfast – Honey coated nuts or dry fruits(handful) or pumpkin
seeds or fruit smoothies or soups or salad plate(green cucumber, zucchini, salad
leaves) or fruit plate(mix fruits like watermelon, strawberry, oranges, muskmelon
etc) .
Lunch :- green vegetable 1 small bowl(bottle gourd or spinach or methi 0r
brocolli) +Raita 1 small bowl mix with fresh fruits or vegetables like ghia)+ 1-2
wheat chapatti.
2 hours after lunch – fruit juices or nimbu pani or soups or green tea.
Dinner – same as lunch except raita. Instead of raita you can take shallow fried
fish or soy nuggets or cottage cheese.
Late night- fruits as snacks or any shake like strawberry ,banana shake etc
All the best for exams….
Dr.Suman Setia BAMS DNHE PGDHHM