We all know that you can function on 4 or 5 hours of sleep, but are you really functioning? You’re able to go to class, but you probably can’t focus on the material for a long time. Even after “functioning” on 5 hours of sleep, you probably crash at the end of the day. Your body can only crash and recover so many times, so it’s best to avoid it if you can.
Midterms are either here or on their way, and you’ve probably shaved off a few hours of sleep in order to compensate, expecting to balance it all out by sleeping 9 or 10 hours for 3 days straight afterwards. You’ve probably convinced yourself that this is normal, especially since you go to HOPKINS. So studying for exams is a good excuse to cut down on sleep, right?
Wrong.
Granted, you might have heard this a million times, but this time I’m asking you to listen AND act. Cutting down on sleep only reduces your productivity over a certain period of time. You may be able to memorize enough material for that one exam, but it will catch up with you as your cognitive capabilities deteriorate over time. If you consistently get a good night’s sleep then you’ll retain information faster and for longer periods of time. Also you’re body repairs itself during sleep. The last thing you want is to get sick right before an exam. The best thing to do is to maintain (or implement) a sleep regimen of 7 to 8 hours a day, and study smarter.
Sleeping before you study helps prime your brain for memory formation, and sleeping after you study helps to solidify the memories you formed earlier that day. Now, don’t use this as an excuse to sleep all day. Simply maintain a consistent and healthy sleep schedule. It’s important to make this a habit because the benefits are cumulative. Sleeping 8 hours the night before an exam is great. However, sleeping 8 hours a day the week before an exam is even better. Remember, the sleep you get the night before you starting studying is just as important as the sleep you get the night after you’ve finished studying.
So after a long day of intense studying, what should you do?
Sleep on it.
Cheers,
Mani Kéita
