Cramming for a test? Don’t do it, say UCLA researchers
examiner.com
Postponing studying for a big exam until the last minute and then embarking on a caffeine-fueled cram session is not the way to go Credits: Robin L. Wulffson, MD
Another summer is drawing to a close and Los Angeles students will soon be returning to school. Researchers at UCLA conducted a study to determine how students can boost their grades in a manner compatible with a healthy lifestyle. They caution that postponing studying for a big exam until the last minute and then embarking on a caffeine-fueled cram session is not the way to go. They published their findings online on August 20 in the journal Child Development
The researchers note that the problem with all night cram sessions before an exam is the trade-off between study and sleep. Obviously, studying is a key contributor to academic achievement; however, what students may fail to appreciate is that adequate sleep is also important for academics. Senior author Andrew J. Fuligni, a UCLA professor of psychiatry, and colleagues note that sacrificing sleep for extra study time, whether it is cramming for a test or plowing through a pile of homework, is actually counterproductive. They caution that regardless of how much a student generally studies each day, if that student sacrifices sleep time in order to study more than usual, he or she is likely to have more academic problems, not less, on the following day.
Dr. Fuligni explains, “No one is suggesting that students shouldn’t study, but adequate amount of sleep is also critical for academic success. These results are consistent with emerging research suggesting that sleep deprivation impedes leaning.” He notes that students generally learn best when they keep a consistent study schedule. Although a steady pace of learning is ideal, the increasing demands that high school students face may make such a consistent schedule difficult. Socializing with peers and work, for example, both increase across the course of high school. So do academic obligations like homework that requires more time and effort. As a result, many high school students end up with irregular study schedules, often facing nights in which they need to spend substantially more time than usual studying or completing school work.
Dr. Fuligni notes, “The biologically-needed hours of sleep remain constant through their high school years, even as the average amount of sleep students get declines.” He explains that previous research has shown that in 9th grade, the average adolescent sleeps for 7.6 hours per night; then declines to 7.3 hours in 10th grade, 7.0 hours in 11th grade, and 6.9 hours in 12th grade. “So kids start high school getting less sleep then they need, and this lack of sleep gets worse over the course of high school.”