Why eat curd and sugar before exams and why you should take your food on time?

    Exams are perhaps the most stressful periods in the life of a student. And many of us get nightmares or that jittery feeling of blank mind far too often as the exam date approach. In one of my earlier posts, I had mentioned that self-control is an exhaustible resource, and therefore we can assume that there is scope for replenishing it.

  As the exam nears, we tend to use up immense amount of self-control mainly by doing things that we don’t like: avoid watching TV, restrain from going out, and sit through hoards of unending text book pages. By doing things that we really don't want, we deplete our self-control, and as the self-control depletes, three things happen:

   We become irritable, prone to quick peripheral decisions, and begin to act with reduced perseverance. 

  In short, we tend to give up far too easily, something we don’t want when attempting a tough math exam. Imagine how unfortunate it is to give up just one step before the correct answer, like the proverbial gold digger who gave up digging one foot away from fortune.

  

 A way to replenish our self-control is the need of the hour, and how wonderful it must be to have a quick burst of self-control? What if I say a glass of sweetened water or sweetened curd does just that? Hard to believe? What if it is backed up by scientific evidence?

   To find a way to replenish self-control, the researchers(1) had to find out a way to determine the chemical substance that depleted with decrease in self-control. They found out that the substance, and it turned to be glucose. 

 How did they arrive at this conclusion?

  The difference in levels of glucose before and after various self-control experiments pointed in the same direction, a definite depletion in the level of glucose.

  A simple experiment of forcing someone to make a chain of tough decisions resulted in high glucose depletion compared to relatively lower glucose depletion from someone making a chain of simple decisions. Making tough decisions, decisions that has clear consequences, can deplete self-control considerably; for we use up a lot of self-control when we take tough decisions. 

  No wonder we become irritable and unsympathetic after a long day of small and big decisions at office, we have used too much of self-control, and our glucose levels are so low that we bark at the first person on our way home, and that partly explains why we find it difficult to divide work and home.There is not enough energy to remain polite and civil, a mark of self-control. What we need to avoid altercation at home is a just bite of glucose. 

What does sweetened drink do to your brain and body?

    It turns out that a quick increase in sugar levels in a human body not only increases the energy levels, but increases the willpower as well - the ability of conscious control. With increased sugar levels, we become less irritable, and persevere more – an ideal mindset in an exam hall. 

  What happens when you take decisions on empty stomach?

   At empty stomach, the glucose levels are low and any intent of self-control is already out of the bloodstream, it makes sense to defer a big decision till a glass of sweetened water pushes up the glucose levels.

  We can’t possibly take sugar every hour of the day, in fact that can become a health hazard. Sugar intake can pump up energy levels quickly, but consistent protein intake can do the same job in a healthier way. A regular protein diet helps to curb the urge to take that quick bite of chocolate.

Enough of research, What do all these mean to me?

   It simply means that you should take your food on time, four meals a day no matter what. (which I’m trying hard to follow)  This will ensure that your self-control is at peak, and you don’t splurge your money or time on things that you will regret.

More to follow on self-control and why you didn't stick with your new year resolution (If at all you haven't given up on taking new year resolutions)

Researchers(1): Roy.F. Baumeister and fellow researchers