Hey, can we tell you what’s really fun and excellent? Marshmallows. Soft, doughy, sugary marshmallows toasted over a crackling fire. Mmm, mmm, mmm. But you know what’s even better? Your brain not feeling like one.

For us students, eating tonnes of sugar, staying up super late, avoiding the gym and going out with friends are pretty standard. It’s all part of uni life, right? But having too much of these good things could be damaging our mental and physical health, fast.

And if our brains aren’t in tip-top shape, how can we expect to do a good job at uni stuff? Good health is an asset we need to maintain in order to succeed academically.

Don’t believe us? Here’s the scientific proof:

Stress = Bad

When we’ve got three assignments to finish, a part-time job to maintain and a raging social life that we’d much rather pay attention to, stress has a way of creeping in. Yep, even though we can multitask better than our mums at Christmas, it’s still making us extremely stressed.

A 2010 study found that stress actually stops people from remembering things. This cruel, cruel reality means that the more we freak out about our exams, the less stuff we’re likely to remember when we’re cramming.

Prolonged stress can also cause anxiety and depression, meaning we could find ourselves feeling worried, sad and alone when we need the support more than ever.

Fun Stuff = Good

So, how can we stop ourselves from winding up in a stress ball? We’ve spoken before about the tools we can use to look after our mental health in exam season, but eliminating stress doesn’t have to begin and end with ~mindfulness~.

Did you know that baking helps mental health? Yep, according to this 2016 study, baking, crafting, writing, playing music or taking part in other similarly creative endeavours can make us much happier and help alleviate stress.

So can hanging out with friends and family. And receiving frequent hugs. Also, petting cute little doggos is a surefire way to chill out. 

Choose Your Foods

Don’t get us wrong. If you give us a packet (or six) of sugary, delicious treats, we’ll will inhale all of them faster than you can say, “recommended serving size”. And what is a study sesh without a bag of M&M’s? But if we binge too hard, the haze of a sugar coma takes days to subside, meaning our productivity will take a dive.

It’s a scientifically proven truth that if we want to keep our brains ticking its way to a distinction average, we’re going to have to feed it veggies as well.

Here are some foods packed with good stuff that’ll help our memory and brain: salmon, avocado, broccoli, dark chocolate, eggs, walnuts, blueberries and leafy greens. If we chuck a few of them into our everyday diets, we’ll be well on our way to nailing all our assignments.

Also, we should consider adding roasted pumpkin seeds to everything. Not only are they good for our brains, they’ll make our boring salads taste like popcorn.

Go Outside

We’re not saying you need to run a marathon, but making sure you move your body will do wonders for your brain. It’s a scientific fact. Just go for a walk, or read outside for a few hours between classes and you can tick this box.

Being surrounded by nature helps improve our memory, encourages feelings of wonder and helps us concentrate for longer.

So, there it is. According to science, being a little healthier will strengthen our brains, make us happier and help us tackle our exams like a seasoned pro. Nice.

(Lead image: Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air/NBC)

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Josephine is the Editor of Uni Junkee.