Get The Most Out Of Going Back To School!
Whether you are a parent or student, starting college, or heading back, there are many ways to get the most out of the back to school experience. These are our suggestions to feel ready to stay focused for classes in a healthy way.
Ready to start the term off on the right foot? Here are our suggestions to conquer your semester!
Getting back into the swing of college again (or for the first time) means lots of hoping you'll have the motivation focus and energy to make it through classes and homework. The biggest challenges surround how to have enough energy to do all of the things that make up a good school experience. So, here are the basics!
1. Overcoming sleep deprivation 2. Staying healthy 3. Conquering study sessions and exams with maximum focus
Written By: Ila Meza
Health guru, yoga sculpt instructor and Voke editor.
Overcoming Sleep Deprivation
Welcome to college, the land of sleepless nights, whether it's because of late-night activities or cramming for tests. According to a study conducted at the University Health Center at the University of Georgia, college students only get an average of 6 hours of sleep. "The college years are notoriously sleep-deprived due to an overload of activities. Recent research on college students and sleep indicates that insufficient sleep impacts our health, our moods, our GPA, and our safety."(4)
To prevent sleepless nights here are a few suggestions:
1. Start winding down early. That means setting a time frame to head to bed and wrapping up the activities or studying about an hour before you want to be asleep. All of the excitement and the intense focus can make it very difficult to sleep. Too many stimulating activities right before bed can leave your mind racing. Try winding down earlier to let your mind relax so you can sleep better. Also, don't worry about power studying all-night every night. Your brain works better and can retain more information with a full nights rest. Save the intense study for the day time and catch some zzzs to get the most out of your mind and body!
2. Ditch the media. Phones, TVs, laptops, and other media devices can act as a stimulant to your system, keeping your brain awake and engaged. About 30 minutes before bed, shut it all down to start quieting your space and your mind.
3. Melatonin or diffusers. If you know you have a harder time getting to sleep or staying asleep, there are a couple of methods to promote better rest. You can use a diffuser in your room with essential oils like jasmine and lavender to relax your body as you sleep. Or, if you have a difficult time, there are plenty of easy options like melatonin and z-quil.
Bottom line, you need the rest to do your best. Test out a few of these suggestions to see what works for you.
A recent study revealed, "Daytime sleepiness, sleep deprivation, and irregular sleep schedules are highly prevalent among college students, as 50% report daytime sleepiness and 70% attain insufficient sleep." So make good sleep a priority!(1)
Easy Ways to Stay Healthy
As we all know, staying healthy isn't easy in college. Late nights, fast food, and the need for energy drive a lot of unhealthy choices.
1. Get enough Vitamin C. Staying healthy can be a challenge, especially if you aren't supporting your immune system. Vitamin C is a pretty basic way to boost your immune system and keep you feeling good and going strong.
2. Protein is your best friend. Being always on-the-go can tire you out. Foods high in protein give your more sustainable energy to keep you going longer. Try a cliff bar instead of a candy bar for healthier energy. Plus, if you are busy having protein-packed meals and snacks, you won't feel the need to snack on sugary food that may drain your energy.
3. Get moving! Exercise will make your body and brain feel better and work better. When your body is moving, you open yourself up to feeling amazing; keeping your mood elevated thanks to endorphins created by physical activity, and helps you sleep better. It's a full win-win. You stay in shape and get better sleep, so you feel more rested and can handle any class or test. You've got this!
4. Have less sugar. I know sugar is a silent partner to any college student on the move. Candy bars, energy drinks, even fast food have too much sugar. Speaking of which, unfortunately for all of us, the energy we end up relying on usually comes from beverages that are sugar-packed. When it comes to energizers, try alternatives that have low amounts of sugar or frankly, have no sugar. (I'll give you my secret solution to healthy energy in the next section.)
Did you know proteins optimize brain function? They are essential for getting nutrients to your braincells in order to maintain a healthy heart/brain balance which equals brain power! So grab some protein and power up!(3)
Conquering Study Sessions and Exams with Focus and Energy
1. Study outdoors. The fresh air can wake you up and make it easier to retain information. Also getting some sun and enjoying the outdoors means more exposure for Vitamin D.
2. Study as a group. Find a couple of people in each class that you can study with. The group effort and collective focus means you have a timeline set and the expectation to participate and study with people that can help you understand the material and answer questions. That means you have a support system and never risk feeling lost in the course.
3. Energize to feel focused, without getting jittery. Here's the best reccommendation I have to offer. Voke superfood chewables are the perfect solution.
Voke is packed with benefits from the amazing blend of superfoods including: a full daily serving of Vitamin C to support your immune system from acerola cherry, Focus+Energy from green-tea and gauarana berry, brain boosting benefits for clear thinking from red beetroot, and a blend that has nothing artifical. Voke is made with natural and organic ingredients, with zero sugars, absolutely no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners.
Also, Voke is gluten-free and vegan and has recently received BSCG drug-free certification.Voke is good energy + focus in a simple form. Everything you need, nothing you don't.
(Avoid the crash. No sugars + healthy ingredients = no jitters, no jolt, no worries. Waaaayyyyy better for college life.)
According to a study published in The National Center for Biotechnology Information, "Weekly jolt and crash episodes were experienced by 29% of energy drink users, 22% reported ever having headaches, and 19% heart palpitations from consuming energy drinks."(2)
A Note to Parents
School is back in full swing!
Of course, parents want their kids to find a balance between classwork and positive experiences. It is a whole different challenge send them on their way and hope they stay healthy.
There is always a chance that they'll eat nothing but junk food and survive solely on energy drinks to make it through study sessions. But we can hope that some of these recommendations can help prevent that.
So, parents, here are my suggestions for preparing your kids for the next semester of adventure and accomplishment.
1. Grab healthy snacks, with a long shelf life, in bulk. Places like Costco and Sam's Club sell large quantities of protein bars, jerky, and healthy variations of chips, drinks with electrolytes and other assorted snacks. Try providing them with a large amount of healthier/protein-packed grab-and-go snacks. At least they'll have consistent and easy access to better options that won't go bad.
2. Send them with some Voke. Instead of letting them depend on energy drinks or coffees, try sending them with a healthy alternative. Voke is an on-the-go superfood chewable that doubles as an immune booster with 100% of your daily value of vitamin C. (Check out our other blogs and website for even more info and benefits.) Try giving them an easy option they can toss in a bag and have on a desk that lasts and will keep them focused, energized, and going strong in the healthiest way.
3. Even if their semester has already begun, it is always great to send a care package. (Protein bars, Voke, and laundry pods would be a safe bet for starter package. )
4. Keep being awesome. Supportive parents make all the difference.
Ready For a Great Brain Day?
Voke Superfood chewable tablets use a scientifically supported blend of natural and organic red beetroot, raw guarana seed, acerola cherry and green tea leaf caffeine to improve mental performance, concentration, memory and mood.
References:
(1)Hershner, Shelley D, and Ronald D Chervin. “Causes and Consequences of Sleepiness among College Students.” Nature and Science of Sleep, Dove Medical Press, 23 June 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075951/.
(2)Malinauskas, Brenda M, et al. “A Survey of Energy Drink Consumption Patterns among College Students.” Nutrition Journal, BioMed Central, 31 Oct. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2206048/.
(3)“The Power of Protein to Optimize Brain Health.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-resilient-brain/201506/the-power-protein-optimize-brain-health.
(4)“Sleep Rocks! ...Get More of It!” University Health Center | Managing Stress | SleepUniversity Health Center | University of GeorgiaUniversity Health Center, University of Georgia , www.uhs.uga.edu/sleep/.