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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNCG chapter.

As exams are fast approaching, you might be in denial and have a “worry ‘bout it later” attitude or you might have already started studying and the only reason you are reading this is because you cannot physically handle another minute of studying. Well, worry not because Her campus is here to help and give you the most  important tip for exam prep. I am sure a lot of people have heard the obvious tips like don’t study too long and take breaks so that you can process all the information, but have you thought about how sleep affects your studying? A study at Harvard shows that studying for too long and getting less than 7 hours of sleep affects your ability to remember what you studied. But is goes beyond that, Harvard also did a study that linked poor sleeping habits to higher risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression. In addition, they found out that less sleep and trying to study for extended periods of time can actually  cause memory loss and even dementia.

 

Here are some tips on how to get a better night’s sleep because we all want to ace those exams, essays, and projects:  .

  1. Don’t delay your wake-up time to make up for lost sleep. Yes, when you don’t get enough sleep it affects your body, but the body is also a wonderful thing that can actually make up for lost sleep the next night. Not being disciplined in your wake up time does you more bad than good.

  2. Create a sleep schedule and FOLLOW IT. I don’t think it’s a secret that college kids are the worst at follow-through, so challenge yourself to just stick with it kids. (Your sleep schedule should amount for a least 8 hours a sleep a night, yes even during exam week).

  3. Limit caffeine consumption. I know, this is probably the hardest one. I know I need my coffee pick-me-ups throughout the day but large amounts of caffeine can cause jitteriness and a less focused brain. If you want that content to stay in that pretty brain of yours, cut the Starbucks runs.

Studying for tests and writing papers is important but it is never meant to be done at once. Try to make sure you get those eight hours of sleep in first.

 

Source: Harvard Health Publications

 
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a writer and editor for the UNCG chapter of Her Campus.
Hannah Trudeau is a co-correspondent for Her Campus at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is an International Business and Information Systems/ Supply Chain Management double major and is minoring in French. She would love to travel the world one day for work as she loves to learn about different countries and cultures. In her free time, Hannah enjoys reading and catching up with friends.