You must eat healthy food during Iftar and Suhoor and not give in to unhealthy foods to increase concentration during fasting (Shutterstock)
At a time when many devote themselves to worship during the month of Ramadan, many students are forced to combine studies with religious duties. To maintain sufficient energy and focus, students are advised to adhere to certain practices during the holy month.
Behavioral psychology specialist Dr. Rola Maalouf explains to Al Jazeera Net that fasting has cognitive and psychological benefits, as it contributes to reducing the effort expended on digesting food and the energy the body needs and thus leads to greater focus and calm.
It is necessary to maintain a sufficient number of hours of sleep during fasting so that concentration and comprehension are not affected (Shutterstock)
The best ways to study in Ramadan
Maalouf offers a set of tips for the best ways to study during Ramadan, which help students focus, pay attention, and carry out their duties:
Maintaining a specific sleeping pattern,
and trying to maintain an appropriate number of hours of sleep, because it is possible for the student to stay awake late in the month of Ramadan, which causes a difference in the sleeping pattern, so the sleeping pattern must be modified to ensure that he gets a good amount of rest so as not to cause fatigue. And fatigue during the study period. It is also recommended to ensure moderate sleep, no more than no less than 8 hours, so as not to affect concentration and comprehension.
Drink water and eat dates.
Drinking plenty of water during iftar hours is one of the most important measures to prevent dehydration, which affects concentration and may cause headaches. It is also necessary to break the fast with dates to compensate for the lack of sugar in the body and provide it with energy.
Eat healthy food during Iftar and Suhoor,
and do not give in to unhealthy, fatty and fried foods, which cause feelings of lethargy, laziness, and inability to concentrate while studying. It is recommended to eat healthy foods such as avocados, dark chocolate, walnuts, almonds, and bananas during the suhoor meal. It is important to eat a lot of nuts and fish rich in Omega 3, as they help increase brain activity.
Do not eat sweets immediately after eating,
and postpone them until two hours after breakfast. It is also preferable not to eat them in large quantities, because they cause brain lethargy.
Do not overeat,
as it negatively affects concentration and absorption of information.
Rula Maalouf: Fasting reduces the effort expended on digesting food and the energy the body needs, which leads to greater concentration (Al Jazeera)
Establish a routine for studying.
You must take a break before breakfast and a break after eating. So that the student will be ready two hours after breakfast to study without being exhausted. Therefore, it is recommended to study after the evening and Tarawih prayers. When you start studying, the body is at full capacity, so you should start with the scientific subjects that are the most difficult or that require more effort from the student to comprehend them, and then progress to the easier and easier ones.
Allocate time for entertainment.
Feeling bored negatively affects students’ concentration during Ramadan. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate one to two hours a day for entertainment or activities other than studying, whether meeting friends, watching a suitable series, or even going out to perform Tarawih prayers or exercising, because playing sports regularly works to stimulate the student’s abilities to understand and understand.
Stay away from the mobile phone.
During the fasting period, many students use their phones to play games or browse social networking sites so that they do not feel tired, and this reduces their ability to focus on their studies, so the student must put his phone out of his reach or turn it off.
There are several ways to study, and allocating 25 continuous minutes to study followed by a 5-minute break helps maintain focus (Shutterstock)
Ways to regain focus
For its part, “My Study Life” offers some ways to confront students’ concentration difficulties, which can be exploited during the holy month of Ramadan, most notably:
It is necessary to establish a program
or daily routine and allocate time for studying during the periods when the student feels most alert, energetic, and energetic, including early morning (after suhoor, for example), or late evening.
Follow a rule for studying.
Allocating 25 continuous minutes to study, followed by 5 minutes of rest, helps maintain the focus required for study. Then the ball is repeated again. After several consecutive sessions, it is possible to take a somewhat long break and practice any recreational activity such as talking to a friend or exercising. Or reading a favorite book, etc., as this is the best way to study during Ramadan and at other times.
It is necessary to drink enough water during breakfast hours so that dehydration does not lead to a lack of concentration (Shutterstock)
Maintaining hydration during the fasting period,
as dehydration leads to lack of concentration and distraction in thoughts, so make sure to drink water during suhoor and after breakfast.
Good planning and maintaining organization,
as it is one of the most important keys to quality study in Ramadan, with the need for coordination. For example, studying from after suhoor until noon, as concentration and activity at this time are at their highest levels, then sleeping from noon until iftar, or studying at the same time. Between Iftar and Suhoor, as the person does not feel hungry or thirsty during that period, then sleep from Suhoor until noon, and continue studying from the time of waking up until Iftar.
Stay away from noise while studying,
look for a quiet place to study, and do not use electronic devices and social networking sites.
Source: Al Jazeera