Starbucks vs. Sit-Ups: How to Stay Focused During Exam Season

Written by: Julia Paiva, SPECTRUM Writer

November 8, 2016

It’s exam time: you’re tired, stressed, and you have managed to land an exam schedule that leaves you with little time to recuperate. So the question is, how do you stay focused in order to concentrate on the task at hand, instead of being distracted, stressed out, and falling victim to the temptation of procrastinating? And are the methods we take to stay focused really helping?

There’s a reason why the line ups at Tim’s and Starbucks are so long. They provide us with the most actively used psychoactive drug in the world-caffeine. While we know that caffeine helps us stay awake and can elevate our moods, it is a bit more unclear whether it has any impact on memory or information retention.

Coffee’s effect as a stimulant is caused by the way caffeine acts on the adenosine receptors in the neural membrane. Adenosine facilitates sleep, as well as dilation of the blood vessels. Caffeine is an adenosine-receptor antagonist, meaning the caffeine binds to the same receptors that adenosine would have otherwise attached to, decreasing adenosine’s influence as a result. This activates various neural circuits and causes the pituitary gland to release hormones that cause adrenal glands to make more adrenaline, which increases our energy (Bruno, n.d).

Caffeine can keep us feeling wired and alert, but there are mixed results from studies on whether it helps us learn. More evidence shows that caffeine facilitates learning in tasks where information is presented passively. For instance, caffeine could strengthen your perception, but have little or no effect on how well you recall information afterwards. However, a recent study at John Hopkins University demonstrated that having caffeine could help enhance memory related to pattern separation at least up to 24 hours after (Gatlin, 2014). Most studies show that there are no long term negative effects of coffee as long as you limit yourself to 4 cups a day, so it just might be worth that espresso shot.

If warm drinks aren’t for you, another way to get a caffeine fix is through energy drinks. But what exactly is the ‘energy’ component that is advertised to give us wings? These drinks typically contain caffeine, the amino acid taurine, and vitamins. Just consider the fact that due to the high levels of sugar, you’re experiencing both a sugar and caffeine crash an hour later.

While some students turn to coffee shops as their go to study spots, others find solace in fitting in a workout beforehand. It’s a well-known fact that exercise releases endorphins, a type of hormone that improves our mood. While being in a good mood can be dampened by the prospect of studying, endorphins can also help you to prioritize functions of the brain, helping you to block out distractions to focus on the task at hand.

Studies have suggested that your brain remembers more when your body is active. It has been shown that aerobic exercise can change brain structure. The prefrontal cortex, medial temporal cortex, are greater in volume in those who exercise frequently compared to those with a sedentary lifestyle. Getting on the treadmill regularly appears to enlarge the size of the hippocampus, associated with learning and memory (Thomas et. al., 2012).

However, this correlation was only seen in aerobic exercise, so although strength or balance exercise such as yoga and weight lifting may help you stay focused, they won’t have the same physical effect on your brain. In an experiment noted in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, students were told to memorize a string of letters, then told to either run, lift weights, or sit quietly. Students who ran were quicker and more accurate when recalling the letters (Cohen, 2012).

Although there is no fool proof way to stay focused on the task at hand, there are ways to trick your body into chemically giving you a bit of a boost. Use these methods in moderation and know that your mindset will also affect how well you stay on task. So take a break to workout, have a coffee break with friends, take a deep breath and figure out what works for you!