5 Consequences of Sleeping Less to Study More

Among many students, there is a common belief that all night study sessions can boost their grades and lead them to success. However, pulling an all nighters is risky for grades and health. Consider these facts shared by The Huffington Post before making the decision to study all night long:

1. It could lower your grades: Sleep deprivation can cause weariness, indistinct vision, headaches, forgetfulness and an overall irritability that can be distracting during a test. A study compared the GPAs of students at St. Lawrence University, those who were never up all night to study had an average GPA of 3.1, while those who regularly relied on all-nighters only averaged a 2.9 GPA.
2. You can’t count on your memory: Poor sleep gives the brain time to repair and refresh itself. Sleep deprivation makes your less memory functional. You need your attention span, information recall and reasoning skills to be in the best shape for a test.
3. Studying will be harder and less effective: Cramming information is considerably less effective than other study methods. Research has demonstrated that we tend to remember the first and last things that we hear in any given time period, the information in the middle is more hazy to recall. Attempting to remember information with a sleep deprived mind is creates more of an opportunity for lost information.
4. Euphoria is short-lived: The energy you get after sleep deprivation that makes you feel motivated and satisfied with your performance, is an illusion. You are not at your highest performance level. It’s a sign your body wants you to rest.
5. Your stroke risk increases: Sleep habits can affect your health even if you exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. Healthy adults who get less than 6 hours of sleep per night are four times more likely to suffer a stroke than those who are well-rested. Keep in mind that the recommended amount of sleep by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is 7-8 hours per night.

There is no doubt it, sleep has an impact on not just health and happiness, but education and careers. The path to success can be much easier as proper quality sleep strengthens memory, helps you learn skills faster, expands creative thinking and boosts GPAs.