All-nighters are a frequent occurrence in the life of many college students. As I type this, my roommate is planning on holding one of her very own this evening. While I lecture her about the importance of getting enough sleep, and how her immune system is going to take a major hit, she rolls her eyes and places her headphones back in her ears. Seriously though, allow me to provide you with some tips on avoiding staying up all night to get homework done:
1. Examine your schedule — Most people have schedules that allow them at least a few minutes of downtime between activities. Maybe you have five or ten minutes before or after a class. You may find that you have more small pockets of time than you expected.
2. Use your time wisely — Those tiny pockets of time you’ve found in your schedule can and should be put to use. You could be spending that time on Facebook or Instagram, or you could be reading a page or two of homework. You could spend that time writing a paragraph.
3. Plan out your time — Keeping a planner and managing out your time will help you come up with space to work on certain projects and papers. Make sure to schedule in things like eating and sleeping!
4. Remember that not sleeping will literally drive you insane — If you don’t sleep, you will eventually go crazy, and it may be sooner than you think. Not sleeping for a night or two in a row is especially hard on your body and your brain, but it’s just as bad when you make a habit of not getting enough sleep. Your processing will be slower, and your decision making skills will go out the window.
5. Not Sleeping will screw up your memory — If you’re staying up all night to study for a test, you need to rethink your study habits. Memory is the first thing to go when you’re sleep deprived. This means that even if you stay up all night working on something, you may not remember it the next morning. I’ve found this to be true with my own studying, so I try to avoid reading and studying late at night.
If you’re having trouble sleeping due to stress, or some kind of physiological condition, make sure to consult a doctor to discuss your options.
Now, everybody get some sleep! 😉
-MB
Writing TA/Peer Leader 