If you’re one of those people who managed to convince yourself that you “study better last minute” or proudly boast that you stayed up all night to cram for your exams the next day, you might want to change your revision habits.
A 13-year-old boy from Hengyang City, Hunan Province was rushed to the hospital after suffering from severe brain inflammation as he put himself through an intense study session of staying up late to complete eight sets of exam papers without stopping for a break.
According to Sin Chew Daily, the boy stayed up late at night everyday to study as he was stressed for his upcoming final exams. When his parents discovered him in the morning after the incident, they said that he was “behaving strangely” and kept yelling “Chong, come and eat chicken” despite the fact that no one was there.
The concerned parents immediately sensed that something was wrong with their son and rushed him to the hospital. Upon seeing a doctor, the overworked child was diagnosed with severe anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.
Harvard Health explains that this is a kind of brain inflammation (also known as autoimmune disease), occurs when the body unexpectedly produces antibodies that mistakenly attack healthy brain cells. While this complicated and admittedly rare condition is typically caused by infection, a new study has raised the possibility that stress may equally cause autoimmune disease.
Those who are diagnosed with this disease will usually experience symptoms such as fever, fatigue and delusions or seeing/hearing things that are non-existent (hallucinations).
As scary as this may sound, experts say this will only happen if you regularly overwork yourself. You should arrange breaks regularly and reasonably between studying as well as well as consume fresh fruits and vegetables so your brain receives the nutrients it needs to continue functioning optimally.
Looks like it’s time to leave that “cramming” mentality behind. Do you know anyone who constantly overworks themselves? Tag them in the comments!
Also read: 8yo Dies From Brain Vessel Rupture After Mum Whacks Her Head for Doing Homework Wrong