Tips for Successful Late Night Studying

Sleeping student
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What is your best study time? Do you feel most like studying in the wee hours of the night? If so, you are not alone. But that can be a problem for parents and school officials.

While some students like to get up early in the morning and study, most will say that late night studying is most productive. When it comes to brain power, students will say they perform better at night--and the fact that parents might find surprising and interesting is that science seems to agree.

That can be a problem. School starts early in the morning for most students, so the benefits of studying at night can be eliminated by the drowsiness of missing sleep! Science also shows that the amount of sleep you get will affect your academic performance.

Here Are a Few Tips for Maximizing Study Time

  • Figure out if you are a morning person or a night person. You might surprise yourself. Try getting up early to study and see if it works out.
  • Have a talk with parents to tell them that teen brains do perform better at night, so you won’t have to deal with miscommunication. Show them the science. You might be able to come up with a solution.
  • Agree on an absolute “start time” for studying if you need to study late. Turn off the TV! Your brain should be just fine at six or seven o’clock. You don’t need to start after dark.
  • Agree on a solid deadline for closing books and getting to sleep.
  • Don't waste time on texts, games, and social media. You can do all of that early evening and get serious later in the evening if you're a night owl.
  • Upon occasion, you may be able to go to school a little late if you have to study for an afternoon test. As long as you are communicating with your parents, and as long as the tardiness doesn't hurt your grades, you may be able to work this out.

Sources:

Improved Academic Success. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2009/06/090610091232.htm

Teens. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2007/05/070520130046.htm

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Fleming, Grace. "Tips for Successful Late Night Studying." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/should-you-stay-up-late-to-study-1857237. Fleming, Grace. (2020, August 26). Tips for Successful Late Night Studying. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/should-you-stay-up-late-to-study-1857237 Fleming, Grace. "Tips for Successful Late Night Studying." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/should-you-stay-up-late-to-study-1857237 (accessed March 29, 2024).