There are two days left until the tests for the final exams start, a crucial stage in the lives of students, characterized by intense moments of study, tiredness, insecurities, fears and stress and maintaining clarity and serenity is essential to make the most of one’s abilities cognitive. Review these days is a must, but everyone has their own method: there are those who prefer to go alone, perhaps repeating out loud, those who meet in a group for the so-called ‘closing’ in jargon, those who do a mix and maybe he adds teachers on Youtube or educational podcasts. According to the Maturassociazione website, when asked “how will you prepare for the high school leaving exam?” although social media encourages aggregation and sharing of spaces and moments, in view of the 2024 Matura, 73.5% of students prefer to study alone, while only 23.6% choose to do so in a group.
Night before exams
Then there are those who, to calm anxiety and stress, 48.7% choose to spend moments of lightheartedness with their peers, unlike 32.3% who prefer to study as much as possible until the end. This leads to the most classic of questions – “The night before the exams, will you be able to sleep?” –, which receives the most classic of responses: 75.2% will not be able to sleep, 62% will still try “to relax and not go over everything until the last minute”, while 30.6% will spend it “at home going over ”.
What better diet in the days of maturity
Dr. Luigi Alberto Marrari, Scientific Director of Imo and Naturalsalus, recommends a balanced diet, such as the Mediterranean one, which provides all the vitamins, minerals and amino acids essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system. Obviously it is important to avoid excessive consumption of sweets and ultra-processed foods, as these foods can increase levels of anxiety and stress. Vegetables and fresh fruit, rich in vitamins, promote the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter essential for mental well-being. Furthermore, maintaining a healthy gut microbiota is crucial, as the gut is often referred to as our “second brain” due to its influence on our emotional response.
Physical activity along with other strategies before exams
Physical inactivity can accelerate the decline of cognitive abilities and contribute to cardiovascular problems so it is important to stay active, especially moderate intensity aerobic exercise, which has beneficial effects on memory, attention, learning and stress control . Exercise increases your heart rate and stimulates a series of processes that improve brain health and reduce anxiety, making it a valuable ally during periods of intense study.
see also
Maturity, how much exams cost on average for each student
Traditional medicinal plants useful for managing anxiety and stress
Nature provides us with various herbs and medicinal plants capable of counteracting these states of stress, be it physical or emotional, with the aim of improving the body’s resistance to states of stress and/or capable of calming the nervous system and induce sleep. For example, Passiflora incarnata, thanks to the presence of flavonoids and beta-carboline alkaloids, is widely recognized for its sedative and anxiolytic properties and traditionally used to treat anxious syndromes characterized by symptoms such as insomnia and restlessness. Another very interesting plant when associated with Passiflora incarnata is Crataegus oxyacantha or more simply Hawthorn, used since ancient times for the regulation of heartbeat and blood pressure, properties which make it particularly useful for anxious states which can affect on the cardiovascular system.
Educational podcasts, new method
For ScuolaZoo, “Regardless of the device used, be it a podcast to listen to on headphones or a volume to browse, a key to providing an effective revision method is the ability to offer information in an engaging and stimulating way for children”. Reading on a screen is a fundamentally different experience than reading on paper, and scholars question the implications of this transformation and the need to adapt new teaching methods. It is necessary, today more than ever, to find a balance between the use of new technologies and the traditional approach to reading on paper. Educational podcasts represent an excellent opportunity to make studying more enjoyable and attractive, giving the opportunity to learn through original narratives and lively discussions.
