The end of the school year is a nail-biting time for all of us, as we scramble to assemble final projects, edit (or perhaps write) final papers, and all-around do our best to resuscitate potentially lackluster GPAs.

However, despite a misleading name, cutting-edge research suggests that “finals” may not in fact be the end of the world.

Deadlines, dead week, studying. Despite consistently morbid names, the themes surrounding finals week do not need to be all bad. There are some good things about finals week. Like the fact that it is only a week. And how afterward, we survivors are released into the wonderfully irresponsible world of summer.

But until that moment, it can certainly feel like a bit of a trying time.

Or at least it should. Trying is apparently important in receiving acceptable grades from this institution.

Regardless, here are some well-researched words of advice for the upcoming weeks.

Eat well: Research suggests that eating well has been shown to positively impact academic performance, as well as literally every other aspect of a person’s life. Recommended foods include almonds, fruit and yogurt, but since these foods can be expensive and it is not always easy to get to the store, I am sure that candy, McDonald’s and energy drinks will have the same effect.

Don’t cram: Unless it’s an absurd amount of food into your mouth while stress-eating, which is a totally acceptable activity. Shockingly, putting everything off until the last minute has been found to cause anxiety, which can lower performance on test. On the flip side, cramming’s alternative, “not studying,” has also been shown to have a negative effect on test scores. So it’s really up to you to pick the lesser of two evils.

Cardio: Getting your heartrate up at least once a day has been proven to increase memory retention. However, when we’re all spending so much time studying, it can be hard to find the opportunity. One good way to do this is to set your alarm for a good 20 minutes later than you usually wake up, so when it goes off you rouse in total panic. Nothing gets blood pumping like almost sleeping through important tests, and you will additionally get a pretty good workout in as you sprint to class.

Bonus: Consider changing your alarm to a recording of the word “i>clicker” on repeat. This trains your brain to wake up to important words and can come in handy for the next time you doze off in class.