Improving your study habits through implementing a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be a drag. The trick is to incorporate small changes, rather than attempting a massive lifestyle shift. Don't beat yourself up because you can't maintain a five-day-a-week exercise routine and an all-organic diet. Instead, look for ways to include healthy movement and nutritious habits into your usual activities. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Choose roommates who won't stuff the fridge full of pizza or keep you up all night. Ask relatives to send healthy snacks in their care packages instead of marshmallows and popcorn.
Let's take a look at some ways you can adjust your daily routine to positively impact your studies.
*Be prepared in the morning*
Do you find yourself repeatedly hitting the snooze button, then stumbling out of bed and dashing into class 10 minutes late and half-dressed? Even if you can't give yourself an extra hour of sleep, the quality of sleep is often more important than the quantity, and there ARE some simple things you can do to improve your sleep quality and keep you refreshed and alert for your study periods.
Lay out your clothes, pack your bookbag and prepare breakfast. This is a great habit to continue with even after you graduate and have a job! Check your class schedule for tomorrow and pack your bag at the same time so you know you have all your books. If you have time to eat breakfast, lay out a bowl and cereal so that all you have to do is get the milk out of the fridge. Or, if you won't have time to sit down and eat, pack some fruit, energy bars or yogurt. Include an extra bag of nuts or granola bar for an afternoon snack.
You should also be taking a water bottle with you everywhere, so make sure it's full for tomorrow. A toothbrush and a travel-size toothpaste tube is also great to keep in your bookbag, so that you can brush in between classes instead of waiting the whole day.
Tomorrow, it will take you five minutes to throw your clothes on and grab your bag, and you can be confident that you haven't forgotten anything. Now you can set your alarm for the exact time you want to get up, instead of trying to guess how much time you'll need to find a clean pair of socks, make breakfast, and look for that missing textbook. Instead of jerking in and out of REM sleep, you'll wake up refreshed and ready to go.
*Recharge in the afternoon*
Try to avoid scheduling classes right before and after lunch, to give yourself some breathing room. Your school cafeteria should offer plenty of healthy options. Don't even look at the specialties; head straight for the salad bar to fill up on veggies, fruit and whole-wheat bread first. Reward yourself with dessert after acing a test - not every day. Take your time eating, and drink a sip of water between each bite. Spend a few minutes at the end of your lunch hour looking over your schedule to plan your evening. Then head off to class feeling refreshed and satisfied. If you can, snag a couple apples to snack on between classes. (You also have those nuts in your bookbag, right?)
If you find yourself chronically skipping your shower in the mornings because you slept too late, work a shower into your free afternoons. There's no rule that says you have to shower in the mornings or evenings. A mid-afternoon shower will refresh you, and you'll feel better if you're keeping clean on a regular basis.
*Relax in the evening*
Choose healthful dinner options like salad, pasta or soup, rather than pizza. Ramen noodles, the staple of many a student diet, are high in sodium and have virtually no nutritional content. But you can always add a handful of chopped carrots or mushrooms and use only half the flavoring packet for a more healthful (and still economical!) option. Skip the gallon of soda and add a lemon slice to your glass of water. Don't eat anything just before bedtime.
If you're in a relationship, save sleepovers for the weekend - really. Once you get into the habit of sleeping at each other's apartments, it's a hard habit to break, and it will deprive you of sleep and interfere with your "me time".
If possible, keep your study area separate from your sleeping area. Invest in a comfortable, straight-backed chair and a good light. If you like to snack while you're studying, try vanilla yogurt instead of ice cream, or banana chips instead of potato chips. When you're ready to sleep, close all your textbooks and turn off the lights. Use earplugs or an eyemask if you're in a small shared space with distractions. Since you've already laid out your clothes and packed your bookbag for tomorrow, you don't need to lie there worrying about tomorrow...just take a few deep breaths and let yourself drift into wonderful, rejuvenating sleep. Happy studies!