How to Maintain Your Health While Studying Nursing

The moment you sign up for a nursing course, you will start to consider the many potential stressors you may encounter. The journey begins with a choice of the specific course and institution best suited to your needs. This could be an online course that allows you to stay at home with your family to provide you with ongoing support, or you may have to relocate to get into the best program. Either way, practical training will form a part of your studies. How do you ensure optimal health while studying and good nutritional habits that become embedded for life? What else do you need to function at your best while studying nursing?

Preparing for a Nursing Career

Studies have shown that most nurses find their careers extremely rewarding, despite the challenges. While the job entails coping with the stressors of patients who don’t recover, long and frequent shifts, traumatized family members, and colleagues who are under pressure, the ability to make a difference in someone’s health, even saving a life, outweighs the trials. Nurses provide the cheer and compassion that helps patients to recover quicker from surgery. They play a role in a family’s grieving process or assist them to come to terms with a long-term condition such as looking after a loved one who has had a stroke and for whom a long recovery period lies ahead. Nurses manage expectations and soothe distraught patients. They work together with a multidisciplinary team of experts tasked with overseeing a patient.

The study period is also challenging as it prepares future nurses to be competent caregivers. Good practices of self-care should ideally start during the study period. These will serve you for life and lessen many of the complaints that plague people later in life. The first step begins with selecting the institution that you feel will best prepare you for the demands of a nursing career. Take your time to explore your options, such as these accelerated nursing programs from Baylor University Online.

Secondly, excellent nutrition lays the groundwork for nights of study and a hectic schedule.

The First Rule of Good Nutrition

The number one rule of nutrition, and survival, is to take in enough liquid every day, throughout the day. Men need 3.7 liters of fluid per day, which is roughly fifteen-and-a-half cups. Women must consume 2.7 liters of fluid, or eleven-and-a-half cups. These amounts were recommended by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. However, these figures are averages, with some people needing more or fewer fluids. This is based on various factors. For example, the body gives off perspiration and also loses water through breathing, urination, and bowel movements. This loss also occurs from exercise, hot weather, high altitudes, pregnancy, lactation, and vomiting or diarrhea.

Fluid intake can also come from food sources. Spinach and watermelon are almost totally water. While energy sports drinks can contribute to your overall consumption, they contain a lot of sugar and should preferably be avoided, except on rare occasions. Milk and herbal teas can make up part of your fluid count. However, water remains the best choice and should be consumed when exercising, with and between meals, and anytime you experience thirst.

Eating Right When Studying Nursing

Food is your fuel. It gives you energy and feeds the brain. Make every mouthful count by selecting healthier options that have been shown to enhance mental performance better than fast foods. Making a nutritious meal takes time but many snacks are naturally good for you and require little preparation, such as bananas and blueberries, avocado and carrots, and seeds and nuts. For the latter, unsalted almonds are a potent source of protein and fats that are good for you. A carrot is a readily available source of energy that can help you keep going for the last twenty minutes of a study session. Another useful snack is popcorn, which has no calories, can be warming, and provides a feeling of fullness. Instant oatmeal makes a delicious and hearty breakfast. Aside from being good for your heart, it regulates blood sugar levels and spurs weight loss. It is a gluten-free whole grain that provides fiber and carbohydrates. Oats contain multiple vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Getting Enough Sleep, Fresh Air, and Exercise

Sleep deprivation commonly affects nursing students engaged in their studies. But losing out on sleep has numerous side effects. For example, sleeplessness can affect how the immune system functions, impact the memory and concentration needed for study, lead to hallucinations, cause body pains, and leave the student feeling irritable. While it can contribute to existing stress or make it seem worse, it can also cause it. Set up a fairly rigid routine around bedtime to prepare your mind and body for sleep. Some people find exercise helps them while others need to quieten down by reading a book or meditating. Find out what leaves you feeling relaxed and drowsy and stick to it.

Fresh air is a necessity for good circulation and clearing out the cobwebs. You should not study for longer than 45 minutes without taking a break. This is a good time for a refreshing walk outdoors or standing by your open window and practicing deep breaths. Your brain uses up twenty percent of the air you inhale.

While you might not think you have enough time for exercise during exam preparation, exercise has been shown to boost your ability to study. The hippocampus of the brain requires certain proteins for high memory retention and academic cognition; these are released during exercise. Twenty minutes of exercise is sufficient to increase your concentration to the level needed for studying. Finally, higher exercise scores correlate with higher exam marks.

Nursing is both challenging and rewarding. This starts with enrolment and studying provides a great opportunity to develop the behaviors that will enable you to handle the requirements of the job. Good eating habits will set you up for improved health throughout your career and into retirement. The basics are to consume enough liquids, replace unhealthy foods with healthy options, get plenty of sleep (at least seven hours), use study breaks as a chance to feed your brain oxygen in the fresh air and exercise four or more days a week. This will boost your energy, memory, concentration, and marks.