chandigarh with the board exams nearing the intake of energy drinks coffee and memorystrengthening pills are on the rise amongst city students while some parents are stressing on the child to take ayurvedic pills to sharpen memory students are relying on energy drinks and coffee to stay awake however if dieticians are to be believed neither of these benefit the pills they say work little and that too only after long intake and coffee and energy drinks stimulate the mind because of which the child cannot fall asleep and becomes sleepdeprived which in turn can have an affect on the performance it is not a very good option to have either coffee or energy drinks instead children should have fruits of fresh juice and small snacks made of pulses and wheat cold drinks coffee energy drinks have stimulants like caffeine and glucose they charge your tired brain for a few hours but when the effect fades there are greater chances of forgetting what you learnt in that period says madhu sharma a diet consultant she further adds these drinks can affect the brain and lead to sudden memory loss these drinks do charge you for a while but they lack the nutrition students replace food with these drinks that in the long run weaken the brain and its capacity students should instead take a power nap to give rest to the brain and if they do not feel like having fulltime meals they should have small snacks but made of pulses and wheat junk food is also not good for them during exam days talking about supplements dietician shreya says no supplements can make the mind sharp overnight the only thing that works is a natural diet that is rich in protein moreover supplements should be given only after testing the requirement of the body or else it burdens liver and causes liver toxicity small meals are the best parents can give to their children during these days however students are relying more on coffee and energy drinks i drink coffee and energy drinks at times i feel energy drinks are more helpful as they immediately charge you up says isha saklani a class xii student sidharth tangri class x student says i ask my mother for a cup of strong hot coffee at night as it helps to stay up till late at night food have meat and poultry products in moderation consume more vegetables and fruits eat more cereals baked chips better have flavoured yoghurt drink soups give up on sweets photo quotes staying awakeshelly dewan mother sector 32 resident its equally important for kids to get full sleep and have sufficient time for studies i let my son sleep for eight hours so that his body and mind can relax and retain everything that he has revised uday veer singh thakur class x student i just have light dinners and take black coffee at night if i feel drowsy i simply go to the washroom