All – Nighters
April 28, 2006
As Finals Week approaches, studying is piling up, stress is rising and time is running out. Time to pull an all-nighter.
But staying up all night just to study may not be as helpful as one might think.
“If you get much under six hours of sleep, it can be detrimental,” said Dr. Marc Shulman, staff physician at Thielen Student Health Center. “You will have decreased memory, concentration and reaction time.”
Study tips
1) Set deadlines for yourself:
Students tend to pull all-nighters because the test is bearing down on them. Setting a deadline can have the same effect, but with less stress. Don’t let yourself go out on Wednesday unless you have a quota met.
2) Study with others: People don’t want to look stupid by not knowing any material at a group session, so they will study in advance. It can help people hold themselves accountable.
3) Break studying into sections: Create an outline and break the information into main parts. Instead of studying 10 chapters, you can study 10 main points. An outline can help the brain organize and increase memory potential.
4) Stay In a rhythm: Eat at the same time, exercise at the same time and sleep at the same time. The body functions better when in a rhythm.
5) Visit the counseling services: They can help you take a step back and refocus your efforts. They can help you create a studying plan of attack.
A study done at the University of Pittsburgh showed sleep deprivation from zero to five hours after learning could impair contextual memory, which controls spatial orientation and physical recognition. The study also determined that sleeping within five hours after learning can be critical to memory retainment.
Although late-night studying might seem like a good way to cram in some last-minute information, it might not be retained all that well.
“If you spend that six hours at night studying instead of sleeping, you might only retain two or three hours of it,” said Marty Martinez, staff psychologist with Student Counseling Services.
Sleep is important because the body gets in a rhythm, and when that rhythm is disrupted, learning can suffer.
There are specific brainwaves during R.E.M. sleep that help organize thoughts and ideas, especially knowledge from the few hours leading up to sleep, Martinez said.
Franklin Denney, sophomore in pre-advertising, has spent many a sleepless night preparing for a test and paid for it the next day.
“For the first part of the test I felt good, but after that all I could think about was just going to sleep,” Denney said.
Most students who use this tactic do so because it gives an extra boost of confidence knowing they spent more time preparing.
Denney said he will continue to pull all-nighters because it makes him feel better for the test.
“I just can’t go to sleep the night before a test knowing that I could spend more time studying,” he said.
Although he doesn’t recommend staying up all night, Martinez said he can remember his days as a student, and knows sometimes it can’t be avoided. He has a few tips that may help students make it through finals.
“If you have to stay up all night, wait until you need it to drink caffeine so it will give the body a better boost,” Martinez said. “Also, try to get some sleep at least, and go to bed at your normal time, then wake up early. It can help keep the body in a better rhythm.”
Shulman cautions students not to rely solely on stimulants to stay awake.
“Try to get fresh air and some physical activity to stay awake,” Shulman said. “Make sure to eat healthy and have plenty of fluids so the body has energy to burn.”
Sleep helps restore the body’s energy and alertness, so trying to replace that energy can be tough. The natural rhythm of the body includes a time for rest and recovery.
Sleep can’t be made up by grabbing a few extra hours here and there, or by sleeping longer beforehand in preparation for staying up all night.
“Once that sleep is lost, trying to catch up just isn’t effective,” Shulman said.
Although most young students are physically able to handle the lack of sleep, pulling an all-nighter can be easy to avoid and only used as a last resort.
“In advance, plan not to rely on all-nighters,” Martinez said. “Get your studying done in advance, review the night before the test and then get a good night’s sleep and you should be fine.”
