Finals week for many students is synonymous with pulling all-nighters, cramming, consuming caffeine - and stressing out.

"A lot of unhealthy practices," Olin Health Center health educator Dennis Martell said.

In fact, Martell said, stress is one of the top three complaints of MSU students, according to National College Health Assessment surveys for the past few years.

"One of the greatest health threats reported to us is the stress that college students face," he said.

The data is collected by a national organization that surveys students from colleges and universities across the nation and dissects the results individually.

Students tend to take on too much or too little, he said, which begins to cause problems when work starts to pile up.

"That's how they get stressed out," he said.

He said students really need to "listen to their bodies.

"There's no one that teaches you how to deal with stress," Martell said. "The best thing you can do to alleviate stress is to know what stress is and how your body reacts to it."

The survey said students employ several methods to cope with stress, the most popular being listening to music, talking with family and friends, watching TV and exercising.

Psychology sophomore Leslie Burke said she tries to make lists to keep herself organized.

"That way I don't get overwhelmed in my stress and forget what I have to do," she said.

In order to try to combat some of the stress students face, Olin and Residence Halls Association co-sponsored "Sleep your way to the top of health," a stress and sleep-deprivation fair held Monday in the Union to help students.

"There are ways to both sleep and cope with the workload of finals," Martell said.

MSU's Counseling Center offers scheduled appointments for students trying to cope with psychological issues, including stress.

The center is located on the second floor of Student Services, and any student registered for more than one credit is eligible for a consultation.

Its Web site, http://couns.msu.edu, lists tips for studying for finals, including finding out as much about the exam ahead of time as possible, studying with regularity and how to use time most effectively.

Olin nutritionist Ronda Bokram said students should try to stick to a regular eating routine.

"Your entire schedule is altered during finals week," she said. "You don't have classes, your study habits change - it's important to eat every three to five hours."

She said it's important to eat for the brain to function at its optimum level.

"You're not going to think as clearly on an empty stomach," she said.

While Bokram recommends healthy eating, some campus groups help make sure students are at least eating happily.

Habitat for Humanity, for instance, is one of the groups that offers parents the option of buying care packages for students to be delivered during finals week.

The packages are delivered directly to the dorm and include fruits, candies and snacks, Habitat fund-raising co-chairperson Erin Wendt said.

"It's a very large fund-raiser for us," the zoology junior said. "The parents want a way to show they care, and all students need to eat, especially during finals week."

Staff writer Sonia Khaleel contributed to this report.

Tara May can be reached at maytara@msu.edu.