Once or twice a week, my busy high school schedule kept me awake until 3 a.m. and was forced to wake up at 6 a.m. I thought the work load was very unfair to students but I have a feeling it is only going to get worse. I have yet to be overwhelmed with work in my short life as a college student, but I know that all-nighters of studying are soon to creep up on me. Being the typical 18 year old male, I procrastinate things to the point where I cannot push them off any further. The amount of work that I am expecting in my near future will surely keep me up all night to study the material. Is this an effective way to learn though?
In high school, courses were year long compared to here where they are a semester long but you cover the same amount of material. It is unfair for students to be expected to cover this material in such a short amount of time. How bad is it to have a lack of sleep though? All college students suffer from this so it cannot be that bad?
Slowing down the thinking process is one of the effects from lack of sleep. This sticks out to me the most because lack of sleep is usually caused by studying, but it actually “dumbs you down.” Also, lack of sleep can lead to major health issues such as heart failures and strokes. It can also lead to depression.
I never realized that lack of sleep was bad for you other than the fact that it is bad to drive when you are tired. This clearly is not a healthy way for kids to be studying and can lead to major health problems. Time to stop procrastinating and get some sleep!
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/10-results-sleep-loss?page=3
http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences
I wrote a post about the same topic! High schools have to start their schools at a later time or else students will pay the price!
A tired student and studying are never a good combination. It’s almost impossible for a student to retain any information they study if they are craving a good nights sleep. During high school, it was possible to do homework the day it was due in the class period before. The work load was never unbearable. Coming to college I am starting to realize that I most definitely will not be able to do my homework the day its due and procrastinate like I used to. I’ve been trying my best to get my work done in a timely fashion but a lot of the times my brain says no, but my body said no. I am in desperate need of nap almost all of the time. My sleep schedule has been off and I’m hoping I can get it back on track, along with my study schedule, soon.
I completely agree with your notion that lack of sleep and studying are a bad combination. It leads to a never ending cycle in which students procrastinate, study, loose sleep, and start all over again. It leads to some severe consequences health and grade wise as stated in the article below. We can all take from it some great tips, like getting out of the cycle as quickly as possible.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2014/06/06/poor-sleep-may-lead-to-worse-grades-for-college-students
Although I usually take a nap during the day, I don’t get nearly as much sleep as I should at night. I prefer to get my work done at night just because that’s when I’m thinking the clearest but then it ends up being midnight, then 1:00am, then 2:00am, and then, before I know it, I realize that I’ll only have five hours of sleep that night. In fact, last night, I was up until 4:00am or so and I had the toughest time waking up. Getting through my first class of the day was a nightmare and knowing that I have two more 50-minute classes plus an appointment at the health center later on today is stressful. If I plan to get a nap in today, it won’t be until at least around 5. I think the solution for me is to definitely try to get my work done earlier in the day so I can ensure a good night’s rest.
As college students, I feel like we often think we will be able to function just as well with little to no sleep but I have found that this is not the case. When I don’t get enough sleep, I find that I can not focus as well and that I am extremely irritable. I actually read online that it is better to get a good nights rest before an exam than to stay up all night cramming and studying. Pulling an all-nighter only makes you do worse on an exam! http://www.hercampus.com/health/physical-health/what-all-nighter-actually-does-your-body