Indore Endocrinologist Shares Tips To Handle Exam Stress; Suggests Students To Add Vitamin C In Diet

Indore (Madhya Peadesh): Examination stress if not monitored leads to unhealthy habits, weight changes and damages the body. Stating this, endocrinologist Dr Abhyudaya Verma addressed MP board and CBSE board school students in a seminar organised by Create Stories NGO at a private school on Friday. 

"An optimum level of stress helps in maintaining discipline and responsibility towards exam, but elevated levels can cause disruption in hormones," Dr Verma said. He added that high levels of cortisol - the stress hormone can also disrupt levels of other hormones involved in hunger and satiety and can impair cognitive processes such as self-regulation. "All these factors can result in weight gain and cause health problems," Dr Verma said. He added that it's natural to feel more hunger during exams.

"New neural connections are forged and that requires a lot of energy," Dr Verma said. To compensate for that, the brain sends out signals to make you feel hungry, so that you eat more and provide for the required energy in the form of glucose, he added. "Hence, while we should consume as needed, where and what kind of food we eat also helps in reducing stress levels," Dr Verma said. 

Magnesium in bananas also has the effect of lowering stress levels and reducing emotional tension, he said. Dr Verma said, "Consuming more vitamin C-rich foods also has the benefit of lowering stress levels. The finest sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits and tomatoes, which are also the primary sources of vitamin C."