Vinita Chen (right) relaxed with board games and crafts at the study break event on Tuesday presented by the UH Library. | Monica Tso/The Daily Cougar

Although finals week is ending, students continue to see the sunrise after long hours of cramming for their remaining exams, but studies show that students should be taking suitable breaks.

Award-winning psychology professor at the University of Nevada, Wayne Weiten, said students must be realistic when deciding how long they should study at one time before feeling worn from fatigue. His research also highlights the significance of allowing time for study breaks to revive sagging concentration.

The library instruction fellow Kirsten Feist collaborated with Anita Dryden, the digital and web projects fellow, and hosted a study break event Tuesday at the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library for students to relax after spending hours studying for their final exams.

“We like to ensure that when a break is needed, the students have a fun outlet to de-stress without having to leave the building,” Feist said. “For this particular event, we felt a great way to help them was to give them a chance to be a kid again.”

The staff provided childhood staples including coloring books, crafts, games, piñatas and Play-Doh as students unwound listening to Disney music.

“Study breaks are incredibly important because they help refresh the mind and stave off burnout,” she said.

A kinesiology sophomore Vinita Chen attended the event as an intermission from her strenuous studies.

“The break let me relax for a little and catch up with some friends,” Chen said. “We also got to listen to some awesome Disney music and had some fun.”

Chen said she prepared for three finals and studied on average three to six hours for each.

“My hardest final was chemistry,” Chen said. “I spent six hours going over notes and lecture slides for that test, and it was very tiring.”

She said she tries to take timely breaks while studying.

“Breaks help you relax for a little, and most importantly, they give our brains a break,” Chen said. “I think no matter what we’re studying, we need to let our brains rest every so often, so we don’t overload too much info into them.”