Struggling To Study Online For Long Hours This Exam Season? 6 Hacks To Overcome Digital Fatigue

The exam season brings with it the common problem of struggling to study for long hours. If you are someone who is preparing for exams and wondering why you are struggling to focus on online studies, digital fatigue may possibly be behind it. While most students have shifted to a tech-friendly way to cram as much information as possible, it has also brought with it the problem of digital fatigue as a result. As per the Economic Survey of 2025-26, digital addiction has become a problem due to too much usage of screens that is negatively affecting the youth, and it also calls for healthier online habits. To understand what exactly digital fatigue is and how to solve it, to define it simply it is a common health condition that involves physical and mental symptoms. Digital fatigue can be experienced as eye strain, headaches, poor concentration, and irritability. The causes behind this issue may be the long hours that you spend staring at your screen, even when you are on a break after a study session. Another cause is a lack of a comfortable chair and not taking any breaks to give yourself proper mental and physical rest. And during exam season, if you need to make your online study simpler, then certain hacks can help you overcome it.

According to the International Journal of Indian Psychology, which looked at Indian students and found that their academic performance suffered due to fatigue. So, digital fatigue is a major concern, as the exam season is stressful enough without the need to be constantly present on online learning platforms or scrolling on digital platforms while taking a break, so to make your study session simpler, you can use these hacks. 

6 Hacks To Overcome Digital Fatigue

1. Pomodoro Technique

A science-backed technique that uses short, focused study intervals with scheduled breaks. This technique, when used smartly, can lead to you experiencing less digital fatigue, improving your concentration, and maintaining consistency in how long you can study. Here are practical tips to make the pomodoro technique a part of your online study session:

• Do not sit on digital screens first thing in the morning; schedule a book and paper study session.
• This will help in easing eye strain and make your brain less tired in the morning itself.
• You can divide the study into 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks scheduled.
• This exact time period ensures your attention span is focused and the information you read is recalled by your brain when you sit to write your exam paper.

2. Blue Light Filters And Screen Breaks

If you are staring at your phone screen while studying, then you may be constantly exposed to blue light that can cause your eyes to become strained. This is why taking regular screen breaks is important for keeping your mind focused and sharp to retain information. According to the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, continuous smartphone use led to a visual marker of tiredness, showing that blue light exposure can negatively impact how medical students process information and retain information. Here are some tips to reduce your blue light exposure:

• If you are someone who always keeps their phone by their side while trying to concentrate on their studies, then you need to learn to keep it out of reach.
• If you are sitting at a table and chair, keep your phone away from your immediate surroundings.
• The rule to follow is out of sight, out of mind.
• Keep the blue light settings on the screens you normally use, like phones, laptops at an eye-comfortable level.
• This will help in reducing eye strain and make it better, especially for long-term usage.
• Schedule a micro-break every half an hour, as the mind tends to wander after spending half an hour focusing on a single task.

Read More: Digital Detox: The AI-Powered Stress Epidemic And How To Set A 'Screen Time Budget' That Works

3. Physical Movement

If you think that you need to spend all your time with your nose to the book or looking at a screen for cramming information and effectively writing about it. Then, think again, as according to the Health Education and Behaviour journal, students need to balance their study time with physical movement to keep their brains active. The right practice to avoid getting digital fatigue in the first place is to:

• Stretch regularly in between your study sessions to make sure the stress from sitting for long hours is prevented.
• Hydrate after every micro-break that you take; not only can drinking water become a way to hydrate, though.
• You can keep a bowl of hydrating foods like cucumbers, watermelons, and berries for a healthy and hydrating boost in-between your study sessions.
• Make sure your posture is correct, and make sure you are sitting straight to reduce the load on your spine.

4. Offline Revision Methods

Students tend to use their phones for revision right before the exams and just a couple of days before for convenience. But doing so can actually stress out your brain further, and you may need a calm mind to recall information when you are answering questions on the exam paper. Here are practical tips to handle digital fatigue by keeping offline revision notes:

• You can make handwritten notes to keep the information handy for revision, especially in the exam centre where you are waiting before you head in.
• Making flashcards is another way to ensure all the important information is readily available for revision.
• You can even use the visual medium, as the brain's recall value increases when visuals like images and diagrams are used for breaking down difficult information.

5. Mindfulness And Breathing Exercises

The excessive load of exam season can bring excess stress and increase the secretion of stress hormones like cortisol. This hormone can make your immunity weaker and lead to anxiousness and panic-like symptoms right before you head in, as you are under pressure to perform. According to the International Journal of Indian Psychology, university students practising mindfulness reported lower emotional exhaustion and better regulation of digital fatigue compared to students who didn't practise it at all. Here are some tips to reduce the load of digital fatigue on your mind and body:

• You should try meditating for at least 5 minutes to calm your mind and brain, as studying can stress them out.
• You should gradually increase the duration of your meditation to reap the full health benefits and to experience enhanced focus, memory retention, and information recall.

Read More: 5 Signs And Symptoms Of Digital Burnout

6. Balanced Diet And Sleep Hygiene

Students tend to underestimate the importance of consistently eating a balanced diet and having a sleep hygiene schedule to ensure proper rest. According to Sleep Science and Practice, eating a balanced diet and regular physical activity significantly improve sleep quality, which in turn reduces tiredness and enhances daytime performance. Here are some tips to ensure you consume a balanced diet and develop proper sleep habits:

• When you are a student, prioritise your rest, and to do so, sleep and wake up at the same time.
• If you are studying for long hours, take breaks and study during the day and sleep at night to make sure your body clock is not disturbed.
• Eat a healthy diet consistently to get the maximum health benefits for the brain, to ensure you put your best foot forward.

Students should balance their digital and offline study sessions. And timing it right based on the body's clock is important. Digital fatigue can worsen your study performance and impact long-term information processing, so tackling it head-on matters.

Disclaimer: This content, including advice, provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.