It’s not easy being a student.
Whether you’re still in school or have begun college, odds are you’ll have a lot on your plate. Co-curricular activities, homework, tuition classes, and studying may all leave you feeling like a zombie at times. Studying at night may be a tough challenge. Before we go into the specifics, I would like to ask the following questions to you as a college/ university student:
Do you have trouble studying for longer than an hour?
Do you always doze off when studying at night?
Do you have trouble getting up in the middle of the night to study?
If all of your responses are yes, you need not be worried; these are normal difficulties that students experience. Don’t worry if you feel like you need a “boost” to stay on top of your game. The following suggestions can help you significantly enhance your academic performance.
Tips on How to Study at Night Without Sleeping
If you wish to study at night without sleeping, try the following tips and strategies.
1. Control the Amount of Light in the Room:
When you’re studying, lighting is really important. Dim lighting might make you drowsy and cause you to fall asleep quickly. To avoid this, make sure that the entire room is well-lit.
If you use a table lamp, turn it off right now since it just lights your table; the rest of the room remains dark, giving you a sleepy and lethargic sensation that may cause you to lose interest in studying.
2. Foods That Are Too Heavy to Consume Should be Avoided:
They say you should eat excellent meals before studying or taking tests, and this is true, but you must know how much to consume. You should consume light foods that will keep you satisfied. For example, do not eat fast food like burgers or pizzas, because it makes you feel quite heavy. Also, drinking water before eating keeps your stomach light and helps you feel full.
If you consume heavy meals, such as burgers and pizzas, you will feel lethargic and relaxed all at once, and you will want to sleep right away. You won’t be able to maintain your current sitting position, and you won’t be able to manage your sleepiness.
Another alternative is to eat early, around 7-8 p.m., and then snack after a while, around 10-11 p.m., which is a great option if you want to study for long periods of time because it will offer you a break in between.
3. Drink Plenty of Water:
Drinking 2 liters of water each day will benefit you in your daily life as well as your studies. When you drink water regularly, you’ll want to go to the bathroom every now and then, which will allow you to stretch your legs while studying and keep you moving so you don’t become too comfy or lazy in your chair.
Drinking water while studying is also claimed to improve memory and your ability to stay in one position for hours until required to use the bathroom.
Not only that, but drinking water keeps you full so you don’t get hungry when studying.
4. Read Loudly:
This is an excellent idea to follow; I used to do that when I had my boards, and it was really beneficial. For example, whether you’re studying an answer or attempting to grasp a topic, just say it out loud. This reduces the likelihood of falling asleep, and it also allows you to memorize more quickly and enhances your learning ability.
This is similar to how a teacher teaches an idea in the classroom. In the same manner, you must force yourself to grasp the concept or response. The easiest approach to learn any response is to first comprehend the question, then read the answer paragraph and understand what it is trying to teach you, just like a novel.
5. Choose Easier Topics at Night:
It is preferable to choose easier topics at night since they are easier to understand and you will not feel bored of attempting to learn or understand a new or difficult topic. It is preferable to save the difficult ones for the day since you will be more alert in the morning and will be able to concentrate better.
Choosing enjoyable ones at night would be useful since you would stay engaged and it would be light and easy to learn for your brain. There is also an advantage to studying easy topics at night because you will be able to complete as much of the syllabus as possible.
6. Have Coffee (but not too much):
Coffee is a very popular way to stay awake, and everyone knows it; we use it as well, but there are many negative effects that you must be aware of, or drinking too much coffee is really damaging to your system.
Instead of consuming one entire cup of coffee 2-3 times a day, you may sip it throughout the day. It is recommended that you should not exceed 500-600 mg per day, therefore you must be extremely careful and think carefully about when you need to drink your coffee.
7. Exercise:
In terms of academics, physical exercise improves learning ability and long-term memory while also reducing anxiety and sadness. However, the advantages of exercise extend beyond that: it increases focus, attentiveness, and motivation.
To quote John J. Ratey, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (which examines how exercise affects the brain):
… It [exercise] improves your mindset by increasing alertness, attention, and motivation.
And the benefits of exercise may be seen nearly immediately. According to this study brief from the University of Texas at Austin, based on a survey of numerous published scientific articles:
Physical activity can improve academic achievement in both short and long term. Children are better able to concentrate on classroom work almost immediately after engaging in physical exercise, which can improve learning.
However, not all exercises are created equal in terms of their efficiency in increasing attention and alertness. According to most research, 30-odd minutes of intense, sweat-inducing cardio is the most effective.
8. Study with Others:
There is a very little possibility that you may fall asleep in the middle of a study session if you are not studying alone.
Studying with a group of friends might be distracting, but it can also help you better prepare for your board examinations if everyone in the study group can be disciplined enough not to get sidetracked from study subjects.
Friends can test you on your preparation or assist you in understanding things that aren’t clear to you yet.
9. Put On Some Music:
You may also listen to study music to assist regulate your brain waves and increase attention. If you’re getting drowsy when studying, try changing the music to something lively.
While this may not help you concentrate on your studies as well as soothing study music, it will undoubtedly awaken you from your sleep. Furthermore, research from Stanford University School of Medicine shows that listening to music may help you focus.
10. Avoid Your Bedroom:
If you live in a dorm room or a shared apartment, the most convenient location to study may also be where you sleep.
However, it is better to avoid studying in any location that you connect with sleep, as this may cause you to feel drowsy.
When feasible, study someplace other than your bedroom, such as a library, coffee shop, or a designated, well-lit section of your home.
By keeping your study and sleep areas separate, you’ll make it easier to switch off your brain when it’s time to sleep.
To Sum-up:
You’ve got this! With these ideas and tactics, you’ll be able to close your laptop at the end of a long day of studying and feel good about it. Late-night studying is no fun, and it is certainly not something you should do on a regular basis. However, if done correctly, it may be one of the most beneficial uses of your time as a student. Just be careful not to overdo it.
If you can get some Z’s before the sun comes up, you should. Even 45 minutes of sleep before class can save your life!
I advise you to try other methods not listed here (examples: a stroll in the open, splashing water on the face). You never know what else could work.
If you feel sleepy during your class as well read our tips on how not to fall asleep in class.