How Snacking Can Be Your Secret Study Weapon According to Science

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There are many factors that go into a productive study or homework session.  You have to get into a good mood, create an ambiance that provides lots of focus, and collect a myriad of essential supplies so that you don’t have to go searching.  Finally, you sit down, get to work, and it hits you.  The tummy rumbling. 

Now you’re left with the age-old question: do we push through and ignore our stomachs, or do we abandon ship and raid the fridge?  If we choose to ignore our stomaches, the nagging feeling of our stomach trying to devour itself will make us lose all hope at concentration.  Our brains will be forever focused on our stomachs.

However, raiding the fridge can quickly turn into an hour-long side quest.  What do you feel like eating?  Do we have the ingredients?  Now we have to make the dish.  Then, once we eat, will we be overfull and sluggish?  Finally, you give up, grab a bag of chips and a soda, and hope that gets you through the night.

In university, it’s sometimes nearly impossible to hold a regular schedule.  We often end up relying on caffeine, take-out, or pre-packaged food to sustain us.  If you have trouble keeping a regular eating schedule, try to keep healthy snacks and brain food on hand in your bag.  Make sure you are choosing brain-healthy foods and avoid chips or chocolate bars that might cause you to crash later. 

When our focus is depleted, it’s often because our brain is running out of fuel, and a quick nibble might just fill up the tank to help us push through.  With all the commitments on your plate, a student’s life does not always afford much downtime.   Having a ready and healthy snack at your fingertips can allow us to coast until we can get to our next meal.

How Snacking Can Be Your Secret Study Weapon According to Science

It is always best to try to maintain a healthy overall diet.  You should try to consistently choose a well-balanced array of foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and protein.   This will assist in general with your focus and energy. These choices can often help you to stay full longer and increase your energy.

If you find that you are sluggish or can never seem to get enough sleep to keep you alert during the day, you should definitely go and see your doctor.  Your Doctor can run the necessary tests to make sure that you are not iron or B 12 anemic.  If there are any underlying medical causes to your lethargy, you don’t want to mask the symptoms with vitamin supplements.

Snacking can actually be a beneficial study habit.  Here are some simple habits you can incorporate to fight those study-time tummy rumbles:

Schedule your meals in your planner. 

Time getting away from you is perhaps the most common reason students forget to eat.  As you plan your day, actually make sure that you are giving yourself an opportunity to sit down and eat a meal.  We schedule our class, sleep, and leisure time, but mealtime is not something you can overlook.

Consciously consider when you will have a chance to eat during the day.  Don’t just leave it to chance.  On jam-packed days, block off 30 minutes to grab a bite.  Despite the inconvenience, this break will refuel your resources, boost your energy, and help the end of the day go much smoother.

Make healthy choices.

Choose foods that are going to give your body plenty to work with.  Whole grains, high-quality proteins and Omega 3s are very smart choices.  Stock up on fresh produce and meats or fish.  Hummus is an excellent snack on its own or as a dip, and don’t overlook lentils or nut butters. 

Try to steer clear of junk food while you are studying.  The insulin spikes that come with high sugar or empty carbs can really cause you to crash later.  Nutritionally dense choices will get you much more mileage than a bag of chips. 

When you are choosing what to put inside your body, consider the quality of work you expect from yourself.   Use this as a guide and choose snacks that reflect the quality of that work.  Approach snacking as if you are literally fueling the

For those with a sweet tooth that just won’t quit…

Just because I suggested limiting processed snacks doesn’t mean all deliciousness is out of the question.  Some dark chocolates have positive health benefits.  You can nibble on these alone or incorporate them into some of your favourite recipes. 

There are an array of granola bars, and trail mixes with this sweet stuff, or try creating your own if you feel adventurous.  Trail mix is a tasty, nutritionally dense option for snacking.  The ingredients are limited only by your imagination.

Clean hands, clean workspace.

Choose clean snacks like a homemade trail mix, almonds, fruit, and veggie slices with hummus or Greek yogurt.  These are choices that will not get your fingers dirty or sticky while you are handling your notes or textbooks.  Not only will this keep your stuff clean, but it will also not act as a distraction while you are deep in focus.  We want to keep you in your seat, not wandering around, looking for wet wipes.

Chewing promotes focus and memorization.

If you are allowed, taking one of these snacks into an exam is also a great idea because chewing can help with your focus.  Research has shown that the act of chewing can improve your focus, concentration, and even memory.  This is a simple way to boost your brain during exam time.

While you are at it, don’t forget a bottle of water.  Dehydration can have a detrimental impact on your ability to recall information.  Studies have shown that simply drinking water can help to mitigate these effects.  Hydration has been shown to help facilitate recall which is vital at test time.

Do not force-feed yourself.

If you are not hungry, try chewing a stick of gum.  Never force yourself to eat while studying.  This can lead to bad habits like overeating or loss of the recognition of hunger cues. 

Also, please don’t use the snacks as a distraction.  They are meant to enhance your focus, not pull away from it.  It is easy to fall into a cycle of procrastination.  Especially when you are using things like organizing or prepping a snack to stall your study time.  Recognizing your procrastination pattern and sticking to a task list can help avoid these pitfalls.

It can be easy to allow yourself to focus on distractions in order to avoid responsibility.  Just remember that the snacks are meant to help you, and if they interfere with your tasks, they are best avoided. 

Everyone is different.  Trying out different strategies to improve study time is always a learning experience.  If something does not work, try another strategy.

If creating a study schedule is something that you struggle with, try our free Study Guide Template.  It has more than 20 revision activities that you can experiment with during your study sessions to help you get a well-rounded understanding of the material.  You can download your copy here.

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