This is the time of year when I wave my arms and shout into the void, helplessly hoping that I can convince you to take care of yourself.
I know, I know. You’re very busy. You have papers to write, exams to cram for, caffeine to mainline and junk food to scarf.
You don’t have time for your health. And yet, our clinic is filled dawn to dusk with sick students. It’s no wonder. All that stress wreaks havoc on your immune system.
I am not naïve enough to ask you to put your health before your academics at this time of year. But there are a few simple things you can do to minimize the damage you are doubtlessly inflicting upon yourself.
Food
You don’t have time to fix three squares a day with fresh vegetables and whole grains? Fair enough. But you don’t have to always resort to greasy fast food or sugary candy. Fried food is likely to give you a stomach ache and make you feel sluggish.
Candy will give you a sugar rush followed by a sugar crash. Aim to eat at least two real meals a day with protein in them and featuring a vegetable or fruit.
Between times, carry a baggie of nuts and dried fruits with you.
You can get pre-made trail mix, or make your own. Peanuts, raisins, almonds, dried cranberries, whatever sounds good to you.
If you snack on this, you’ll find your energy level stays more even, with no bellyaches or sugar crashes.
Drink
This time of year, people tend to overdo the caffeine and skimp on the water.
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Caffeine is not inherently evil, but too much can upset your stomach and irritate your bladder. A pot of coffee cannot substitute for a night of sleep. Try to keep it under three cups of coffee or three sodas a day.
Carry a water bottle with you and drink often, refilling several times a day. All of our body tissues need water to function properly. Think of it as watering your brain, like watering a plant. As to the other kind of drink, you might want to employ moderation. It is hard to think when your brain is pickled, or the morning after.
Sleep
This is a big one.
I know you aren’t getting the recommended eight hours a night of uninterrupted sleep. But try to do most of your sleeping in a chunk of time from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Otherwise your body’s biorhythm gets out of whack and mixes up night for day, which is really exhausting. If you get tired during the day, take power naps.
Just 10 or 20 minutes, even with your head down on your desk, can recharge your system remarkably well. When you’re done, have a good stretch.
Exercise
This is not the time to start a new exercise program, nor should you spend hours every day on the treadmill at the expense of your grades.
But I do recommend that you get up and move every couple of hours. Your body will stay more comfortable if you move it every so often, and your brain functions better when it gets some of that blood that has been settling in your butt and feet.
If you are studying in the library, take a walking lap around the stacks, or up and down a couple flights of stairs. If you are at home, take a trip around the block. Be smart and safe about this.
In other words, don’t do it alone at 2 a.m. If it is 2 in the morning, take a stretch break, do some jumping jacks, walk around the house. Better yet, go to bed.
Eye muscles get stiff, too, and eye strain is common at this time of year.
To minimize that, every time you finish reading a page, look up from your work and focus on something far away, then something mid-range, then roll your eyes around. This will relieve the muscles that hold your eyes in focus and help prevent strain.
Extras
Take a multivitamin and a B complex vitamin.
The multivitamin will ensure that you get the minimum, and the B complex helps with stress. And take breaks from studying. Give your brain a rest with a movie, a chat with a friend, or some fun reading. Even a short break can refresh you.
Most of you are young and resilient, but even young and resilient can take only so much. Eventually the body signals revolt, and your immune system goes on strike.
The guards retire to the barracks to play cards, and soon you’re sick, on top of exhausted. If you follow the steps above, you might be able to avoid the germ invasion, stay more alert and energized and finish the semester in style. Good luck!
Peggy Spencer has been a UNM Student Health physician for 20 years. E-mail your questions to her directly at pspencer@unm.edu. All questions will be considered, and all questioners will remain anonymous. This column has general health information only and cannot replace a visit to a health provider.
