Students like to joke that they can have only two out of three things: good grades, a social life, and sleep. While it’s certainly possible to have all three, many students mistakenly think that they can sleep when they’re dead, and so they stay up late either working hard or playing hard.
This is a terrible idea. Whether you need to study for ACTs, SATs, GREs, or some such other important test, you need to sleep. Here’s why.
Not Sleeping Has a Direct Effect on Grades.
Sleep insufficiency can cause headaches, forgetfulness, and irritability. Consequentially, about 72% of students report performing poorly on an exam as the result of not getting enough sleep. Instead of staying up late into the night doing college test prep review, it’s much better to read your ACT test prep books or other studying materials before going to bed at a regular, reasonable time. The brain reformats memories when we sleep, which basically cements them in our minds. If you do your college test prep before going to bed, you’ll remember what you studied better.
Not Sleeping Can Make You Sick.
Sleep insufficiency can cause serious health risks. People who get less than five hours of sleep are at a 2.5 times higher risk of getting diabetes, and 45% higher risk of having a heart attack. Plus, not getting enough sleep will also make you just feel awful, and could cause you to miss out on your college test prep tutoring sessions.
Not Sleeping Disrupts Schedules.
Students do best when they have regular schedules, which means that they excel when they study regularly, and when they go to bed and wake up at the same times. According to a study by UCLA professor of psychiatry Andrew J. Fuligni, staying up late for even one night to get more college test prep done can throw everything out of whack.
Though students need to get their college test prep time in, it cannot come at the expense of sleep. Teenagers need to get about eight or nine hours of sleep per night, and if they don’t, their school life will suffer.
If you have any questions about balancing sleep and college test prep time, feel free to ask in the comments. Read more blogs like this.