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THE LEAVING AND Junior Certificate exams start on Wednesday and we all know how important it is to manage your stress and general health over the intense exam period.
The last thing any student or parents want is for illness to disrupt last-minute study or exams.
While the spell of sunny weather is fantastic for those who can enjoy it, it can cause extra problems for students, especially those with allergies.
Here are top tips from pharmacists on how to mind yourself during the exams…
1. Eat well
Your stomach will already be churning at the thoughts of what poets are coming up for English Paper Two so avoid upsetting it further with the wrong food.
Eat regular, well-balanced and healthy meals. Avoid junk food and spicy meals.
2. Get a good night’s sleep
To relax before bedtime, take some light exercise or a bath or shower and avoid products containing caffeine.
Don’t study in bed as the brain will become over-stimulated. If you’re feeling run down and constantly tired, consider taking multivitamins.
3. No headaches, no problems
Cramming and pressure can often leave your head pounding. Study in a well-ventilated room and take regular breaks. To avoid dehydration, drink plenty of water.
4. Hay Fever
Unfortunately, the warm weather associated with exams often increases hay fever symptoms.
Limit going outside before 10am, as this is when pollen count is highest. If you take antihistamines, double-check that your tablets don’t cause drowsiness.
5. Eczema and Asthma
Students with asthma should continue using inhalers as advised by your pharmacist and preventative inhalers should be used regularly. Don’t forget to bring your inhaler into your exams also.
Eczema can also flare up during the stressful exam times so keep your skin well moisturised with ointments and lotions. Avoid products with high alcohol content as it can irritate sensitive skin.
Caitriona O’Riordan, a member of the Irish Pharmacy Union’s executive committee, said:
Stressed and tired exam students can experience stomach upsets, diarrhoea, cold sores and tension headaches.
She added that it is hard to avoid stress altogether but if any student or their parent is concerned about a stress-related minor ailment during exam time, they can ask their pharmacist for advice.
All advice courtesy of Irish Pharmacy Union. Have you any good tips for managing stress during exams? Let us know in the comments below…
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Ireland should be neutral in foreign conflicts. It would be sad if we lost that reputation.
@Celtic Eagle: This is rich coming from a ring wing person such as you! Isn’t the Eagle a Nazi symbol ? In other aspects, the eagles represents honesty, truth, majesty, strength, courage, wisdom, power and freedom – not seen any of that coming from your comments in the Journal.
@Con Cussed: ah jaysus. “I dont like your comment so I’m going to call you fascist.” Listen to yourself.
@motojack: You should read his comments about Ukraine, LGBTQ+ and other things.
@Con Cussed: none of those make him a fascist. He simply has a different view,one which somand gets literally playground bullied in the comment section. Also, his comments were about neutrality this time not the lgbtq etc.
@GaMran: I don’t agree with him on a lot but I listen to them. Also do you always agree with a person on every subject? I met people who are left supporters and sick of the gender politics,emigration etc. Still vote against the right because the other 1000 ideology they held is leftist. Gotta stop putting people into two groups. (left/ far right) I am in no way standing up for what this dude says most of the time but he has a right to say it without being constantly bullied and get sent nasty personal comments back.
@GaMran: Actually in essence I agree with you. I have desire in any way to bully the bully!
@Con Cussed: Ooops, I have NO desire in any way to bully the bully!
@Con Cussed: In that case you called a raging communist.
@Celtic Eagle: Well said.
@Con Cussed: i think u just did
@Keth Warsaw: LOL ;0)
We still need major investment in our military, starting with decent wages for our servicemen and women.
We absolutely have to stay neutral. Apart from everything else, we don’t have the money to build an army capable of fighting in wars.
@Ian Hoey: but we are benefiting from all the perks of living in a part of the free world…
@Ian Hoey: we don’t need to spend money building a military. If, for example we joined NATO, we would be in a position to provide bases and other infrastructure for allied forces to secure Europe’s western flank. I would imagine we would benefit in the sense that it would be in their interests to help equip and modernise our military.
In any event, it’s all academic as we will continue to bury our heads in the sand and fool ourselves into thinking everything is peachy.
@Paul Shepherd: It does actually cost money to be a member of the NATO club. I believe that the US and others were pushing for a 2% of GDP spend on the military budget. Not sure of what is spent on the military here but have a funny feeling that it is far from 2 percent.
@Ian Hoey: Maintaining military neutrality s actually more expensive that being part of an alliance. Now we have to equip ourselves to defend our sovereign territory from being used by any participant in foreign wars. All along we have been happy to let France and the UK defend our seas and skies.
I don’t see how you can be neutral in todays world…we have to side with Ukraine and expulsion of our diplomats and politicians by Russia is pretty aggressive…
Ok we don’t have military hardware but is staying quite acceptable ..not really..
@David cotter: we were neutral in the world of Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and Spain’s Franco dictatorship in the late 1930s.. it’s the same world , different year..
@Ciaran: that’s because Dev fancied being a propped up leader by the said regimes
@Ciaran: Two wrongs don’t make a right! We’re not politically neutral and therefore why be militarily neutral? The Russians certainly don’t think we’re neutral!
@Derek Goulding: No he didn’t. Ireland assisted the allies in many ways. We returned only allied airmen. We provided intelligence and vital weather forecasts.
@Ciaran: spot on just a other day at the office ….i think anybody thinks that strongly about going to war ..i say off u pop just don’t drag everybody with u
@Derek Goulding: but like ffgwith the tanks and the eu
@Michael Nolan: Yanks
@David cotter: what’s this we white man
@Derek Goulding: Any facts to go with that.
@David cotter: “We have to side with Ukraine” who said we have to. we don’t have to but we do, and we will pay the price for it. Watch this small clip, this is the Ukraine that we are helping https://twitter.com/RueDaungier/status/1595004035773657090?s=20&t=I_Jq55HMJB3wyIzIgUZeUg
Not the same world. Radically different. No cyber hacking,targeted social media propaganda,internet transatlantic cables or major US FDI investment in Ireland back then.And most of all. No Nuclear ICBMs. We are a 2ndary target, after London etc because of our strategic Atlantic position. We can choose to accept that and try to prepare .Or not prepare and 100% fail.
@cormac garvey: Fact!
With our neutral international position and the respect it attracts we could propose peace talks to the belligerents and in every international body where we have a voice – the EU, the UN etc.
The Good Friday agreement was a remarkable achievement as it dealt with populations on the ‘wrong’ side of state lines. Many of the negotiators of that agreement, such as Bertie Ahern and David Trimble, are still active and I’m sure willing to participate in such a bold call.
@Bramley Hawthorne: Be very hard for David Trimble to participate since the man died earlier this year
No country in the world with a history of occupation like Ireland, 6 counties still occupied despite Brit propaganda, has a weaker military than Ireland. It’s perverse.
Let’s get one thing straight sitting on the fence (as neutrality implies) in times of crisis is not an option and never will be for any country,this country once gladly acceped millitary help when it was needed ,we should help others like Ukraine against Russian aggression with every means at its disposal including military hardware,doing nothing (as neutrality implies) to help should never be an article in our constitution,it would be quite bizarre and crazy.
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