Students who use junk food and energy drinks to help keep them up all night to study for a test or finish homework aren’t doing as much good as they think. It’s crucial for our bodies to sleep and recuperate from the day’s events. All-nighters are part of a college student’s lifestyle. Not only do college students stay up for hours upon hours studying and finishing last-minute projects, but high school students pull all-nighters too—spending countless hours during the night looking for resources for on line college.
According to The Harvard Crimson, any information absorbed from last-minute cramming refuses to sink into the brain because the consolidation of memories occurs during deep sleep. Without sufficient sleep, facts and figures are likely to fleet. Forgoing hours of sleep in order to retain more information is actually counterproductive.
Researchers from UCLA’s Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior found that students who lost sleep every night had a lower academic performance the following day. During a 14-day study, 535 high school students recorded their sleep length, study time and two academic challenges. Researchers found that students who gave up sleep for extra study time were more likely to do poorly with an assignment or test.
Sleep is essential. Your brain recharges for learning and memory and energy is restored. Without sleep, we would lose the ability to retain new information and have a hard time focusing the next day.
If academic performance alone doesn’t motivate you to get enough rest, consider the effects sleep deprivation has on your health. Frequent sleep deprivation also has long-term health consequences. Your blood pressure is affected, and you can have increased risks for heart disease and cancer, as stated in ABC New’s article, “5 Health Hazards Linked to Lack of Sleep.”
It’s time to take your head to the pillow if you’re tired of low grades and experience symptoms such as moodiness, lack of energy and concentration, stress and especially difficult remembering information.
To help you get a better night’s sleep, follow these tips:
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Follow a schedule. Go to sleep around the same time every night to help your body get used to a regular sleep schedule.
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Don’t use your bed as a study space. Doing stress-related activity in your bed will trick your mind into thinking it is not a place meant for sleep. Study at the library or a community space.
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Don’t drink alcohol or eat anything right before bed. Food and drink can affect how well you sleep at night.
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Avoid watching the clock! Keeping an eye on your alarm clock and counting the hours of sleep you will get can create stress and prevent a night of healthy rest.
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Consider a “white noise” or a noise machine.
- Do not exercise right before bed. Adrenaline is peaked, which makes it hard to fall asleep at a reasonable hour.