Year end exams: you need your sleep

I further clarified I’d always slept at least three hours, which triggered a disbelieving laugh from my companion.

Barely able to contain himself, he managed a “you might as well have pulled an all-nighter, then”.

With the year soon coming to an end, it’s time once again for students to dust off their textbooks and bury themselves in their notes in preparation for upcoming exams. In their haste to cram in as much information as possible in a limited time, many are sacrificing sleep time for study time.

But lack of sleep is likely to work against you. Research shows sleep deprivation affects performance and the way the brain functions.

DON’T SKIP SLEEP. Rest well and remain fully alert during an exam. Pictures: Thinkstock

According to clinical psychologist and PsychMatters director Joanna Kleovoulou: “Sleep is a complex process of restoration and renewal for the body and mind necessary for a person’s overall wellbeing.

“Spending sleepless nights cramming for your exams can defeat the purpose. Sleep deprivation can make you drowsy and slow your responses. And since your memory can be affected, chances are you probably won’t remember much of what you stayed up late studying.”

While every person has their own biorhythm and every age and stage requires different amounts of sleep (a baby may need 16 hours, while an adult requires less), eight hours is recommended.

And it’s not just students who are ignoring their need for sleep. With life’s pressures and demands, more time is needed to juggle everyday activities and, typically, sleep is compromised. We have become a sleep-deprived society and people have forgotten the importance of a good night’s rest.

“I believe people may not recognise the impact a lack of sleep may have,” Kleovoulou says.

Picture: Thinkstock

“It is important to recognise how alert and awake you feel on a continuous basis during the day, without feeling jittery or restless. Sleep-deprived people tend to forget little things during the day, like where they placed their keys or have trouble remembering anything they had studied just 12 hours before.”

These are not just short-term effects. Some studies on sleep deprivation and brain cells have revealed a constant lack of sleep can lead to damaged brain neurons. Also, continuous sleep deprivation can trigger mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder.

While the time spent studying seems crucial in the moment, there are ways of manipulating your study schedule so it doesn’t eat into your sleep schedule. The two functions need to work together so they best serve your intellectual needs and establishing a good routine early on will help you later in life.