Doing a PhD in Ramadhan

My religion is a big part of my life and is a key part of my identity, and as with most people it is my rock in times of uncertainty and difficulty. Hence being a Muslim in todays day and age is a bit of a challenge, especially when you are fasting and trying to finish your PhD at the same time.

For Muslims Ramadhan is a time of reflection, prayer, charity and worship. It also requires all Muslims to not eat during daylight hours, so in the UK that would be from about 2:30am (sunrise) until 9:30pm (sunset), which is still not as bad as Fasting in Reykjavik. However for many PhD students fasting can be a tiring time with a drop in productivity which can leave many students feeling down. Fasting is obligatory on every Muslim so unless you are ill or infirm every Muslim must fast, so your work and your PhD is not an excuse to not fast.