Do you feel sleepy while studying? And you want to get rid of it? So, read on!
There are various reasons and solutions to avoid sleep while studying, which will help you concentrate more on your studies and score well.
And therefore, this article will help you know the reason behind your sleepiness and its solution!
How to Get Rid of Sleepiness During Learning Hours?
You will need distraction and relaxing time to stay awake and do not let your brain get shut down. So, try one of the below-given points to avoid getting sleepy while studying, increase your energy, and focus on learning more.
1. Avoid Comfort Seating
The more comfortable you will study, the more you will feel sleepy. Hence, avoid beds, sofas, and cushions that provide you comfort. And try to sit straight on a chair and start studying. Also, avoid using blankets or pillows, even on a chair, because coziness will arouse sleeping hormones in you.
Let your brain differentiate between the area to sleep and study. It will boost concentration and the ability to memorize what you learn. Sit on a desk and chair, and you can choose a comfortable chair, so you do not feel too uncomfortable and uneasy.
2. Get Up, Walk and Exercise
Whenever you start feeling sleepy, get up and take a walk in the study room or outside. Or, you can exercise for around 15 to 20 minutes. Along with keeping you awake, it will help boost your energy and blood circulation to study more.
Perform stretching, jog, yoga, bodyweight exercises, or meditate a bit, which will wake up your muscles. And it will also release the protein in the brain to increase your memory and concentration level.
3. Take a Power Nap
A power nap of 15 to 20 minutes will provide you with the memory to learn faster. And it will boost your energy to stay awake and study. But take a nap only when you can’t resist without sleep.
Just keep your head down and take a power nap if you are outside. Otherwise, try to find a quiet and dark place to get a better-energized nap.
4. Wash Your Face
You already know this point! Whenever you feel asleep, go and wash your face. Splash more water in your eyes to reduce drowsiness. It will help you feel fresh and stay awake.
5. Self-Talk
If you are studying alone, talk to yourself in the whole study session to keep yourself awake and focussed. Try to learn by teaching yourself aloud, the way you teach others. Self-talk will also help you engage in fun studies. Also, keep encouraging yourself in between like you will score good, and you are now completely prepared, etc.
6. Learn Aloud
As mentioned in the above point, learn aloud. Reading in your mind may let you fall asleep, so read loudly to engage yourself in your studies and stay awake. Also, it will help you learn faster, concentrate on your studies, and you will enjoy learning more and more.
But, reading aloud continuously may make you feel tired after some time as your brain and eyes work harder. So, take breaks or switch the way of studying.
7. Write More
As said before, continuous reading can increase tiredness. Why not switch to write and learn? Jot down the important points and write in the most comfortable language to understand better. Writing will help you memorize faster and keep you awake and engaged. It also helps diminish distractions to stay focused.
8. Switch Topics and Spots
Whenever you start feeling sleepy, switch the topic you have been learning for so long. Or, if it has been a few minutes since you started with the topic and are already feeling sleepy, change the place you are sitting. And try not to stick to the same topic to study for more than an hour.
In time you may get comfortable where you were sitting to study. So, it is necessary to come out of the comfort zone not to fall asleep. But choose a silenced spot to study to concentrate well.
9. No Studying at a Longer Stretch
Do not study for hours without breaks. At least take breaks of 20 minutes after every 2 hours to relax your body and mind. You may lose concentration in a continuous study period of 4 to 5 hours.
10. Chew Toffee or Chewing Gum
Chewing something in the middle of studying will help you not doze off as your mouth will be working not to let you fall asleep. Chewing gums or toffees are not that good for your health and teeth. So, do not overdose on them. Just chew whenever necessary, especially when you are outside where you can not do anything else to stay awake.
11. Drink Caffeine
Consuming caffeinated beverages may help boost energy to focus and study more as it stimulates your central nervous system. But, this energy will be temporary, and you also can not drink coffee or any other caffeinated drink again and again. Remember not to drink more than 200 mg of caffeine.
12. Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can be one of the reasons for your drowsiness because lack of water may shrink your brain. So, keep a water bottle near you while studying and keep on sipping it to stay hydrated. Drink at least 2 liters of water in a day. And avoid alcohol so as not to get dehydrated and lose focus.
13. Listen to Music
Listening to upbeat and lively music will help improve concentration levels keeping you awake. It will also boost your mood and energy.
14. Acupuncture to Relax
Pressing the five central pressure points: head, hands, neck, knees, feet, may help you lessen sluggishness and feel relaxed. Try it once when you start feeling sleepy in the middle of your studies.
15. Protect Your Eyes
If you attend online classes or use an e-study pattern, guard your eyes against the screen to feel less sleepy. Every 20 minutes, move your eyeballs around, aside from the screen. You can slightly press your eyes with your palm to relax them.
16. Engage Group Study
Studying with peers helps avoid sleep and engages you more in learning. Social studies are motivating and stimulating because you keep on interacting, explaining, and clearing doubts with each other. And it will help you focus more and understand the topic clearly.
17. Involve Active Learning
For some, it is boring to learn by reading and writing, which arouses sleepiness. So, consider adding some fun study tricks to your study session not to fall asleep. You can use cue cards, maps, diagrams, charts, or visuals. Also, try to create your own examples and explain to yourself to memorize what you learn.
18. Lighten-Up Your Room
Light promotes wakefulness in you by activating your brain. Therefore, sit in a brighter place and lighten up every possible light in the room at night to make your brain feel daytime to stay awake and energized. Also, use overhead lights and lamps to absorb the data you learn more clearly.
19. Healthy Diet Plan
To avoid feeling lethargic during study hours, avoid eating fatty, junky foods and do not overeat. Instead, try to include healthy and nutritional food items in your diet plan, like soups, nuts, seeds, protein, fresh fruits, and vegetables. If you feel like eating some snacks in between studies, eat energy bars and healthy crunchies like nuts.
20. Take Quality Sleep
Early to bed, early to rise will help you get quality sleep. And a good night’s sleep of 7 to 8 hours will help you not doze off between studies. But, do not oversleep as it will arouse drowsiness all day long. Also, avoid studying difficult topics at night.
Advice: Take a break of at least 25 minutes between studies of 1 hour to avoid sleepiness.
Conclusion
There are many solutions to staying awake while feeling sleepy in between studying. First of all, you can avoid studying by sitting in a comfortable place, and whenever you feel sleepy, take a walk, power nap or wash your face.
You can chew toffee or chewing gum, listen to music, group study, or drink caffeine to avoid sleepiness. Also, you can talk to yourself, learn aloud and write more than read. Keep on switching topics and spots and do not study continuously for longer.
We hope you found these tips helpful. Other than the tips, remember to stay hydrated, follow a healthy diet, and take a good night’s sleep. And do not forget to share your experience reading this article in the comment section below.
