Temporarily cache notifications

Is there a way to completely block notifications on my Android device? I'm not asking for "silent mode" or "remove individual apps, one by one". What I'd like, ideally, is an app that disables temporarily (like Windows 8 does) for say, 1, 3 and 5 hours all notifications.

This includes sound, vibration, LED blinking, and the notification "banners" that appear on the notification area. Except obviously the permanent notifications, like Avast!, alarm clocks and TuneIn (just to name a few). And then, after the timer expires, show all notifications that have been blocked.

Even if root is required, is there any possible way to achieve this? When I'm studying, I really hate having pending notifications in my bar, so instead of dismissing it, I'm forced to check them. I think Honeycomb tablets with the merged bottom bar had the feature to turn off notifications (although not temporarily, it was as easy as flipping the switch on when you were done).

Edit: I'm running Android 4.2.2 AOSP (no root but I know how to root it) on a Nexus 7. Fully OEM.

Edit 2: There is definitely no notification toggle on my device.

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