Catch some Zs on campus so you can get some As
The importance of sleep for success
Becca Paterson
Features Editor
It’s no secret that sleep is necessary to students’ success, and it’s also no secret that students aren’t getting enough sleep.
Without the proper amount of sleep, it is very difficult for your brain to learn and retain all that information you’re cramming in, so if you’re skimping out on sleep, you’re essentially wasting your time.
In fact, according to Harvard Health, “sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.”
Lack of sleep also affects your ability to concentrate, so if you’re too tired during your tests, it’ll be extremely difficult to finish. In other words, if you make time to sleep as well as study, you’ll end up doing much better on those midterms and major assignments than if you were to power through and keep cramming.
But a lack of sleep can affect more than just your grades.
According to the American Psychological Association, a lack of sleep can be directly linked to other health related issues such as poor immune system, or abnormalities with your metabolic functions or cardiovascular system — issues you definitely do not want to deal with.
Lack of sleep can also have a huge impact on your mental health, which is a very common issue for university students, so it’s best to limit your risk and get as much sleep as you can.
Of course, the best way to ensure you get the most amount of quality sleep is to schedule your study sessions in a way that ensures you get — at the very least — eight full hours of sleep per night, though 10 hours is ideal.