Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: AnkitaA on 20/06/2019 09:41:08
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Tri asks:
In about a fortnight I should take an exam which is 4 hours and 10 minutes long. it includes Farsi, English, Arabic, Religious studies, Math, Physics and Chemistry.
I took a lot of mocks during past 3 years and almost in all of them I felt sluggish and knocked-out at the last 2 hours. I tried fasting, eating a lot, caffeine, mid-exam bananas but I eventually don't know what is the best decision to make.
What is the best thing I could do to my stomach in that day? I was thinking about cube sugars; they're easy to eat, quick and as it seems they weigh as much as we need glucose running through our veins (4 grams).
Can you help?
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Eat whatever makes you happy and comfortable! If you have a normal balanced diet you won't come to any harm by not eatng for 4 hours, but a sugary drink will certainly make you feel better at some stage in the proceedings. I always take apples on a long flight in a small plane: good sugar balance and enough moisture for several hours without overloading the bladder.
It has become fashionable for people to worry about short-term nutrition and hydration. In an exam you should be concentrating on the exam, not your body, hence the suggestion for "comfort" food rather than anything claimed to be "good". A normal breakfast will carry you through the day.
BUT If you normally drink tea or coffee, you are almost certainly addicted to caffeine by the age of 8! It's a harmless addiction but the "sluggish and knocked-out" feeling is a known withdrawal symptom and the aviation authorities advise anyone contemplating more than 2 hours' flying to take tea or coffee with them - the effect on performance is measurable. Hence consider that your "sugary drink" might be sweet tea, coffee, or regular (non-diet) Coke. Avoid unfamiliar "energy drinks" which may push you too far in the "stimulated" direction. If you are only allowed water, consider detoxing for at least a week before the exam - avoid all caffeine: your performance will drop and then recover.