Sleep Overpowers Studying:

Those extra zzzs could help more than you think

Ellen Stryker

 

That hard-to-reach ³A² might be just a little easier to reach than you think.  Go to sleep.  Iım not kidding, that extra sleep may be just what your brain needs.

An episode of Full House showed Kimmy and DJ studying for a Spanish test past midnight.  The advice of all-knowing Danny Tanner was to go to bed if they wanted to do well in the morning.  Did they pass the test?  Of course, everything turns out perfectly on television.  Nothing ever ends badly on TV.  Yet, the sleep they got may have played a bigger role than a few more minutes studying.

Eight hours of sleep is the magic number for most adults.  The National Sleep Foundation recommends more than nine hours for teenagers.  So, if I get up at 6:30, to get at least 9 hours of sleep, Iıd better fall asleep by 9:30.  I rarely go to bed before 9:30.  HmmŠ no wonder I feel so tired at school.

According to German scientists, while you are sleeping, the brain continues to work on problems from the day.  Therefore, all the studying will sink in and will be remembered better the next day.  Sleep also helps concentration and reaction time.  That extra hour of sleep is looking more and more appealing.  If I can sleep more, feel better during the day, and possibly get a better grade because I can focus better, I think I might just go sleep.

Iım not going to stop studying completely.  You canıt do well if you donıt know the material.  But tonight, I am going to give myself the benefit of the doubt rather than try to cram more information in my brain.

 

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