Why is Getting Enough Sleep So Important During Studying?

There are a lot of factors that can affect your academic performance. The type of foods you eat or drink can affect your mood. Where you choose to study can affect your concentration.

However, one of the most commonly overlooked factors is the quality of your sleep.

Here are some of the reasons why pulling an all-nighter is a bad idea and the benefits of getting enough sleep:

Sleep Can Improve Your Memory

One of the most important roles of sleep is converting short-term into long-term memories. This occurs during the REM portion of sleep.

However, you will only be able to achieve this when you are in a stage of deep sleep. The number of hours you sleep each night will determine the number of REM sessions you are getting every night.

Because of this, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that students that were deprived of sleep performed significantly worse on memory tasks.

Alertness When Studying

While it’s a dream for many students, learning by osmosis isn’t a good strategy. You need to actively engage with the material.

Sleep can affect your ability to focus on the material. This will make it harder to absorb.

If you find yourself nodding off during the day, it’s almost always caused by a lack of sleep.

Sleep Impacts Your Mood

One of the most interesting aspects of sleep deprivation is the way that it affects your mood.

Studies have shown that those who aren’t getting enough sleep are more likely to be in a negative mental state. This can manifest as being more irritable and more likely to lose your temper.

However, there is also a link to more serious mental health conditions. This includes stress, anxiety, and even depression.

Lower Risk of Getting Sick

Nothing can lower your academic performance like being sick. Interestingly, there is a link between the number of hours you are sleeping each night and the odds that you will get sick.

Sleep has been shown to affect the immune system. Not getting enough sleep can make this system weak, making it harder to defend yourself from diseases. This can place you at a higher risk of getting respiratory illnesses, like the cold.

It can also have an impact on heart function, increasing the risk of high blood pressure. It has even been linked to a higher risk of obesity.

Better Problem-Solving Skills

Part of studying is being able to think outside the box. You need to find the perfect word for an essay or think logically to solve a math problem. Lack of sleep can start to have an impact on your ability to think creatively. It will be harder to focus on the issue.

This, in turn, begins to affect decision-making. It can make it harder for you to stick to a schedule. You might find yourself more prone to procrastination, with studies finding that those who reported high levels of procrastination also tended to have low sleep quality.

Because of this, a lack of sleep can help explain why some students leave assignments to the last minute.

Tips on Getting the Right Amount of Sleep

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of why a healthy sleep routine is so important. But what are some simple ways that you can improve your sleep?

The first thing to understand is what the right amount of sleep is. It’s recommended that adults aim to sleep seven to eight hours each night.

To make sure that you are getting the right amount, it’s a good idea to start a sleep schedule. Set a time when you go to bed and a time when you wake up.

At first, it will be difficult to stick to this schedule. But, after a few weeks, you will naturally get drowsy when it’s time for bed and will start to wake up before the alarm.

It’s also important that you consider the bedroom itself. Make sure that it is a comfortable place for sleep. You want to have a dark room. Eliminate technology devices, as the blue light can keep you awake.

Next, get a comfortable, supportive mattress. If you wake up feeling stiff and sore, you can use the right mattress topper for back pain.