The deep nervous breaths, the pencils scratching as fast as humanly possible, the moving of the desks, and the ticking of the clock counting down every second left…it’s that time of year again, everyone. It’s finals week. El Cid interviewed school nurse Mrs. Deborah Hilinski, along with other teachers on our campus, for helpful advice to stay stress-free and healthy during finals week.

Stay Healthy: The winter month of December is prone to sickness, especially the common cold virus and the influenza virus. No one wants to get sick, so according to Nurse Hilinski, washing hands, eating right, getting some sleep, and taking things one step at a time can help create a healthy finals atmosphere.

Sleep: With finals coming up, students are stressed and lacking sleep, trying to cram in as much information as they can. Studies show that sleep is one of the most important factors of good health. Sleep is one of the most critical roles in thinking and learning, and a lack of it can hurt the cognitive process in many different ways. First, it impairs attention, concentration, focus, problem solving, and alertness. This makes it even harder to remember all the information you tried to cram in the entire night before. Second, sleep has certain cycles that go through the brain from the day, so without the proper amount of sleep, a student might actually forget what was learned day before. Most adults need about 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night, while teens 12-18 years old should aim for 8-10 hours a night.

Nurse Hilinski advises to take things a day at a time during the exam period. “If it’s Monday don’t think ahead to Thursday to the terrible chemistry exam. Think about today. And then focus on the next thing.” she said.

Prepare: Most students attempt to pull all-nighters sometime in their lives, but it is not a good idea. Based on a 2008 study by Pamela Thacher, Associate Professor of Psychology at St. Lawrence University, all-nighters “impair reasoning and memory for as long as four days.” As a result, you will receive lower grades. According to Dan Taylor, director of a sleep-and-health-research lab at the University of North Texas, this will interfere with rapid-eye movement, which aids memory. So, try get a good night’s sleep and expect to perform better on tests.

Time Management: Another key to finals is time management. Cramming causes anxiety, which lowers your ability to take in information. By creating a good study plan and schedule, you will be able to study each subject in its entirety and, ultimately, boost your test performance. Many students here at CCHS recommend to take things in intervals. Study for 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break, then get back to work again.

“Don’t freak out about finals. It’s just a hurdle you jump over and move on about it. Stay calm and manage your time well,” said Mr. Chris Grazier, English 2H and Speech Communications teacher.

Focus: The last piece of advice is to minimize all distractions! That means turning off phones, not watching TV, and avoiding listening to music with lyrics. Research shows that while many teens prefer to study while listening to music, texting friends, or watching television, they don’t take in as much information. If you really need listen to music, stick to instrumental music to stay focused on the subject.

Follow these tips to be successful and get ready to ace those finals!