How to study during Ramadan

A lot of students are preparing for exams while Ramadan is round the corner. Most local and international boards have scheduled exams for the month of April and May, which means you will be preparing and sitting for exams while fasting.

But don’t worry! Because this blog is all about how to study during Ramadan!

When fasting and not having food, most students complain that their mind starts to shut down and they feel lethargic and sleepy. The less sugar you have in your body the more sluggish your brain gets.

Time and energy management

When you have to fast and also prepare for exams, it is super important to decide the time for studies. Time management during Ramadan and exam season is very critical. In Ramadan you have two time brackets when you can eat –i.e. during Sehri and Iftar. Right after you finish eating, that’s when you are going to have the most energy and when you have energy then you will be able to study better. So, don’t think about sleeping after Sehri – we know it is super tempting to go back to bed but we assure that the studying right after Sehri is extremely helpful. Another recommendation is to study in the morning for your hardest exam. And let the concepts, chapters and subjects for the day time which come more naturally to you and do not require as much brain power. You can repeat the same after having your Iftar meal.

In short, you need to use your energy during the best times of the day so that you can memorize, understand concepts that are hard.

Change places and stretch

Studying during Ramadan in an isolated corner might make you more sleepy and lethargic. It is best recommended to stretch (besides daily prayers), walk around the house; call your friends for any help or to clear the confusion in the concepts. Remember that the more you isolate yourself, the more chances are that you think about hunger and thirst. The more you engage your mind with things related to your exam preparation, the more you will be able to grasp. Changing places, walking around the house or stretching after every half an hour will keep your body and mind active.

Food for fuel

While we all love to savor on delicacies heavy on oil during Ramadan, it could be highly insalubrious for our bodies. Eating healthy during Sehri and Iftari is the key to your success in exams. Yes, we mean it!

With the food heavy on oil and fizzy colas heavy on sugar could give you energy for a very short period of time. But in real, they can do more damage to your body and brain than fueling it with energy. You might feel sleepy and lethargic after dwelling on a plate of Pakoras and Samosa, in fact fill your stomach with fresh fruits, fresh juices and a balanced portion of protein. Remember, you cannot study with your stomach filled with junk. According to health experts, increased stress during university examinations is linked with eating poorer quality diet including.

"Stress has long been implicated in poor diet. People tend to report overeating and comfort eating foods high in fat, sugar, and calories in times of stress. Our findings looking at the eating habits of students during exam periods confirm this stress-induced dietary deterioration hypothesis", says Dr Nathalie Michels from Ghent University in Belgium.

Take a break

Most people feel lethargic during Ramadan due to lack of mobility. Sleeping in odd hours and leaving the workout routine could turn you into a sloth. A person could feel stressed for not understanding the concepts and unable to memorize answers. Therefore, in an effort to grasp the lesson they try to study continuously for hours. This is a wrong approach!

You must take a break during your studies, go out and spend some time jogging in the park nearby. Remember that Vitamin D is a food for your brain.

We hope that these tips would help you manage your studies during Ramadan.

Happy Ramadan and best of luck for your exams!