Finals Week: How Will I Survive?!?

As we all know, the "dead week" of studying is upon us and finals are just around the corner for students nationwide.

Here's a few tips of how to "survive" this anxiety-crammed and draining week of pain and fatigue:

Study! Study! Study!
You may not study for anything else during the year, but finals are a whole other animal. Finals is over EVERYTHING we do during the semester. All those little tidbits we learned at the beginning of the year are so far from our minds we may as well have archived them. You've got to resurrect them from the cobwebs of your mind: re-memorize, re-juvenate, re-MEMBER. Here's a link to some study tips if you feel like you need help with some kind of strategies or anything. It sucks, but we've all got to do it!

SLEEP
Again, this may also be a given, or a point that you may roll your eyes at; but it's also the most over-looked and longed for craving that possesses us during finals. While study time is very important, you're not going to remember a single thing you study if you you're falling asleep when you take the test. Get a decent amount, sleep when you have spare time: after a test, any spare time you happen to find yourself wasting (i.e. on Facebook, Twitter, Xbox Live, etc.) sleep instead!

Caffeine
Now here's something that we've all thought of. What can I drink to keep me awake long enough to get something accomplished?? Obviously, despite the above point that sleep is important, we're going to inevitably run low, and find ourselves getting tired far before we've gotten enough done. Here's a few options:
1) 5 hour energy drinks (138mg of caffeine) - Many people have found these to be extremely effective. Don't take the shot without food though as it tends to cause a mildly upset stomach; the onset of so much caffeine on an empty stomach doesn't bode well with your body.
2) Soda: Mountain Dew (55mg in a 12oz, 100mg in 20oz) - Supposedly, per Associated Content writer, Josh Slinkard, excessive consumption of Mountain Dew can prove harmful for your body, but it is definitely an energy booster, stocked with enough sugar to jolt your brain.
3) Energy Drink: Monster (160mg in 16oz) - Monster is probably my personal favorite on this list, though it usually requires an acquired taste, it keeps you alert for about an hour to an hour and a half before you hit a real hard crash. Drink Monsters when you know you'll be done in about an hour and a half so you'll be able to sleep good!
4) Energy Drink: NOS (260mg in 16oz) - NOS packs a mean punch. It'll keep you extremely alert for about two hours. They, however, like Monsters, have a crash. I, personally think they taste the best out of all the energy drinks listed here.
5) Starbucks coffee - ranging from Iced Espresso to straight coffee; (75-260mg per 12oz, up to 330 with a grande)
6) Energy Drink: Red Bull (80mg in 8.5oz) - Red Bulls are very effective and usually last longer than Monsters or NOS's. Why? I couldn't tell ya. They also have a crash, but they don't tend to be quite as hard as the other ones.
7) Chicken Express/Chick Fil A Sweet Tea!! - enough said. I'm not too sure as to the caffeine content on these, but they both taste good and keep you up.

EAT
None of these energy drinks are going to do any good if you don't have a balanced diet going on. You've got to take time to visit the cafeteria and eat a real meal. Chips, EasyMac, and honey buns won't cut it!! Not this week anyway.

Breaks
Sometimes, you've just got to get away and clear your head. Endless hours of studying can get extremely monotonous and you just have to get OUT. Don't get too caught up into studying to the point that you think you don't have time to take a break. Staring at pieces of paper and your computer screen for an extended period of time can get to the point where you don't understand what you're looking at. Step out for a breath of fresh air, take a nap, go for a jog or do pushups to get your blood flowing and refresh your mind.

Hope this helps! Good luck!