Top 10 Tips For Staying Healthy While Studying Online

Exams can be pretty stressful, and it is important to take care of your physical and mental health. Especially when you are studying online, it’s easy to lose track of time and forget to take care of yourself. Here are the best 10 tips so you can stay healthy while you study online.

1. Sleep

Let’s start with the basics. Sleep is one of the, if not the, most important things in our life for our physical and mental health. Getting a good night’s rest helps to stay focused, improves concentration, and improves academic or work performance.

While you sleep, your body improves brain performance, mood, and general health. There are a lot of damaging sleep myths out there on the internet, but here is an article that uses scientific evidence to discredit these myths.

The proper amount of sleep for a 13 – 18-year-old is 8 to 10 hours, while that of an adult is 7 to 9 hours every night. The risks of not getting enough sleep each night are no joke. People who don’t get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, poor mental health, heart disease, and attention problems.

It’s important to stick to a normal sleep schedule while you are studying. This means going to bed at the same time each night as well as getting up at the same time each morning. Try to create a familiar routine before you go to bed like brushing your teeth or reading a relaxing book for 20 minutes. These actions tell your brain it’s time to sleep.

2. Eat Healthy

The next obvious tip is to eat healthy. It can be tempting to reach for unhealthy snacks while you are studying. Or, to order some fast food because you don’t have time to cook. However, eating healthily has a tremendous impact on both your physical and mental health.

If you are prone to snacking, just remove all unhealthy snacks from the house so you won’t be tempted. There’s nothing wrong with munching on some fruit, nuts, or other healthy snacks, but keep candy to a minimum.

Why not ask a parent, roommate, or partner to help with cooking? Finally, hydration is super important, so put a bottle of water next to you and make little goals for yourself of how much you have to drink before you finish a certain chapter.

3. Exercise

Sitting still behind a desk all day with your eyes trained on a screen can be hard on your body. Introducing physical activity to your daily routine can add a great distraction and has many health benefits. You don’t have to get an expensive gym membership to do this, a brisk walk around the neighborhood is just as beneficial to your health as an intense workout.

You might think you just don’t have the time or the energy to take on any physical activity, but it has been proven that exercise also has an immense boost to your mental health so you can focus better when you get back behind that computer.

4. Fresh Air

Chances are you are probably studying indoors because laptops don’t like rain or sunshine. Sitting indoors all day means you don’t get enough fresh air, while fresh air has been proven to be beneficial for brain function, your immune system, and overall mental health. Taking a walk outside is a great way to do this while getting some exercise in, but opening a few windows to create good airflow is just as good.

5. Take A Break

Staring at a screen all day is hard on your eyes. Not only that but studying for hours on end is not good for your productivity. Schedule regular breaks to rest your eyes and your brain. You might feel like you’re wasting time with these breaks, but they are helping your productivity in the long term.

6. Find A Friend

Studying online can be lonely. Go to a library or invite a friend over to study together. In this way, you’re motivated to keep studying but also to take regular breaks or maybe go on a quick walk around the block with your friend.

7. Don’t Stress

I know, easier said than done. Stress is inextricably linked to exams and studying, but there are ways to deal with it. Find out what works for you. Some people enjoy yoga or mindfulness, while others deal with stress by exercising or doing something creative for a while.

8. Create A Comfortable Working Space

There is nothing more annoying than a squeaky chair or a desk that is not the correct height for you to study at. You will be distracted by these small annoyances and lose focus. Before you start studying, make sure you have a comfortable space to work in. Think of good lighting, a good chair (with good back support!), and maybe a laptop stand to bring your screen to the correct height to avoid neck problems.

9. Don’t Forget Your Hobbies

There’s a reason you have hobbies: it is an activity you like and relaxes you. Taking a break and relaxing from studying is important to keep going in the long term, so don’t brush off your hobbies with the excuse of not having any time. Making time for your hobbies now will make you more motivated and better focused so you can study twice as well as before. Also, continuing with your hobbies is good for your mental health since it provides a distraction, lowers your stress, and (depending on the kind of hobby) creates social interactions.

10. Build A Daily Routine

When you combine all of the above, you get a healthy, daily routine. Make a daily list or schedule and keep yourself to it. Ticking off the items on your list will give you satisfaction and keeps you motivated to keep going.

As you can see, there are more than enough ways to keep healthy while studying online. You should have no problem crushing those exams with these tips. And in case something does go wrong, there’s always the option of teaching English with zero experience. To teach English abroad or online, you only need to have a 120-hour TEFL qualification and be fluent in English.