The 3 a.m. Club: Why Sleep is the Most Underrated College Hack
As finals approach and the pressure builds, it can be tempting to sacrifice sleep in favor of late-night cramming. But before you reach for another cup of coffee and settle in for an all-nighter, consider this: getting enough rest could actually be your secret weapon for success.
Sleep is the last thing on your mind when your class and exam schedules are hectic. Sacrificing sleep for one night shouldn't be that big of a deal. Skipping sleep will let you get last-minute studying in, so you feel confident in your exam.
You get what little sleep you can, wake up, and get ready. Your exam is just after lunch, so you take all your free moments to cram even more. You get a quick bite around noon and then head to class. You take your seat, your professor hands out the exams, and you are ready to begin.
You breeze through the first three questions but hit a roadblock at number four. You start asking yourself what's wrong. I studied all night, so I should know this. Panic sets in, and you go to the next question. Oops, you aren't sure of the answer to the following question either. Your mind is racing, figuring out why you can't remember the information. You feel like a zombie!
Wake up, you went the whole night without sleep.
You might be experiencing sleep insufficiency or sleep deprivation if you sleep less than 7 hours a night.
Just one night of missing sleep can immediately cause slower reaction times, increased mistakes, difficulty thinking, and challenges paying attention; these are all critical cognitive skills you need for your exam. Good news, it's not permanent!
Let this be your wake-up call and leave the 3 a.m. Club!
And I promise it won't make you instantly age to 70. Scientific research tells us the actual hack to college success is getting good sleep.
- Set a routine to get 6, 7.5, or 9 hours.
- If you find yourself needing a nap, keep it to 30 minutes.
- Give yourself a caffeine curfew and stop six hours before sleep.
- Avoid scrolling while trying to fall asleep.
- Make your room a comfortable 65 degrees and dark.
So, now you know while sleep may be underrated, it is precisely what you need, at least your GPA thinks so.