School children and tertiary students alike are studying for end of year exams.  When I think of studying for exams I think of hours spent in front of books to commit enormous amounts of facts to memory.  I think of late nights and early mornings in front of the books, red eyes and copious cups of coffee to try and stay awake a little longer.

I am often consulted by parents of students during this time of year for supplements and remedies to boost concentration, energy and exam stress.  Bacopa and Rhodiola are my favourites, by the way 🙂

Too little focus is placed on the importance of sleep in the study process, I have learned.  Sleep is necessary to commit everything new learned in a day to memory.  Pulling an ‘all nighter’ (studying through the night) before a test can decrease grades by a whopping 40% in some people according to Ted Walker, sleep scientist (Sleep is your superpower – Ted talk by Ted Walker).  To get a good nights sleep Ted recommends going to sleep at roughly the same time every night and waking up about the same time every morning.  He recommends 8 hours of sleep a night and suggests avoidance of alcohol and caffeine to improve sleep.

The brain produces 2 main neurotransmitters to settle the brain into sleep: Melatonin and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).  Melatonin is produced at bed time to produce a sleepy, calm state.  Gaba is produced at different times in the day to act against Glutamate.  Gaba makes one feel calm and relaxed while glutamate (while necessary for learning) can make one feel irritated and wired.  Both Melatonin and Gaba can be used as supplements to aid sleep if indicated, however Magnesium is the safest supplement to increase GABA and serotonin, which can in a round-about way increase Melatonin.