Candidates in exams pay price for lack of sleep and relaxation

Stresses piled on pupils have repercussions for mental health

“Turn your papers over, you may begin” – those words are enough to bring most of us out in a cold sweat as we remember exam times, and it is no different for thousands across the UAE preparing today.

Psychologists say sleep is the single most neglected factor among pupils studying for exams, and is crucial to maintaining a clear head and performing well.

Excessive revision and its effect on sleep patterns can have serious repercussions – mentally and physiologically – experts said.

According to the UK Sleep Council, in the month prior to exams, more than 80 per cent of teenagers said their sleep was affected by stress.

The number of teenagers who managed just five or six hours of sleep a night also doubled to 20 per cent, when teenagers are recommended to have between eight and 10 hours of sleep a night.

“Sleeping in, napping, going to bed late or sometimes not at all – are all habits associated with pupils, but never more so than during the immensely stressful summer exam period,” said Tanya Dharamshi, leading counselling psychologist at The Priory Wellbeing Centre, Dubai.

“Alongside a healthy approach to diet, exercise, organisation and stress management, the amount of sleep pupils achieve is paramount to their overall well-being and should form a key part of exam preparation.”

Sleep patterns in university students were evaluated and related to exam performance by researchers at Georgia State University, Harvard University and the University of California Los Angeles.

Researchers found students who did not go to bed, or wake up, at consistent times every day were more likely to make lower grades.

While sleeping for at least eight hours every night might not suit everyone, maintaining consistent sleep patterns – going to bed and waking up at the same time every day – is crucial, even at weekends, experts said.

Psychologists in Dubai said they expect to see an increase in the number of stress-related patients during the exam period, because many young people are unaware of the link between mental health and sleep.

“Without proper levels of sleep, we get irritable, stressed and can end up feeling like an amnesiac,” Ms Dharamshi said. “In extreme cases it can even lead to depression and panic disorder. Naturally, our coping skills suffer as a result.

“We withdraw from social interaction, develop feelings of loneliness and our tendency to worry increases, which further affects sleep, so a negative mental health cycle is born that can be extremely difficult to break.

“Being awake for more than 16 hours continuously, our mental capacity is as impaired as someone who is drunk. I cannot stress enough how vital sleep is for the body and brain to repair itself on a daily basis.”

Cramming overnight prevents the essential process that take place during our deepest part of sleep, known as rapid eye movement.

During this time, our brain processes learnt information, storing it in our long-term memory. Without this, we become forgetful, our performance slows and mental alertness deteriorates severely.

A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research in the United States also showed hot weather can reduce learning and lead to lower test scores on exam day.

The Heat and Learning study linked test scores from 10 million American students to daily weather data, with results showing an average temperature increase of 0.55°C over a year resulted in a 1 per cent decrease in learning.

Former Dubai teacher Linda Bonnar, who is now a future leaders coach, said: “Young people are told how important getting that place in university is, while others place increasing amounts of pressure on themselves to get the grades they need. Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or that upset your balance.

“When working properly, stress helps us to stay focused. It’s when your stress levels affect your daily life negatively that something needs to change.”

Without proper levels of sleep, we get irritable, stressed and can end up feeling like an amnesiac TANYA DHARAMSHI Lead counselling psychologist, The Priory Wellbeing Centre, Dubai