Get Some Sleep
by
Suzanne Hadley
on Dec 18, 2007 at 9:26 AM
I only remember two college all-nighters—uh, make that three. One I spent in the journalism house getting out the next issue of the student newspaper. A second I spent trying to memorize 1 Corinthians 12-13 for a final project (I should have chosen the option of writing a 15-page paper instead). And the third I spent compiling a hermeneutics project.
In each situation, I was left with too much to do in a short amount of time. Not sleeping seemed like the only option. My sister-in-law never pulled an all-nighter. The editor before me pulled them regularly (He also drank a lot of diet Coke). MSNBC reports that a new study reveals that those who pull all-nighters get slightly lower grades than those who don't.
A survey of 120 students at St. Lawrence University, a small liberal arts college in northern New York, found that students who have never pulled an all-nighter on average have higher grades than those who have. The survey found those who did not study through the night had a grade point average of 3.2 compared to 2.95 for those who have.
Pamela Thacher, the clinical psychologist who conducted the study sees the results as significant:
"It's not a big difference, but it's pretty striking," Thacher said. "I am primarily a sleep researcher and I know nobody thinks clearly at 4 in the morning. You think you do, but you can't."
Of course, this was a fairly small study and I can think of exceptions, as I'm sure you can. But the bottom line is sleep is healthy and improves concentration and performance. That's good for me to remember during this busy time of year where I'm tempted to burn the candle on both ends.
1. mary had the following to say on Dec 18 at 9:53 AM:
This is interesting. I'm a college senior and have never pulled an all-nighter, mainly because I know what lack of sleep does to me!
One explanation for the study's findings is that people who pull all-nighters are usually cramming instead of putting in steady studying during the semester. Studying in increments rather than waiting till the last minute usually gives you better grades, regardless of sleep levels.
That's something I've learned from experience. :)
2. Marie had the following to say on Dec 18 at 10:03 AM:
Haha... it's rather late at night where I live; and this was the first thing that I saw when I accessed the Boundless site just now. I wonder if this means something. ;D
3. Josh M had the following to say on Dec 18 at 10:17 AM:
I would imagine the difference has a lot less to do with lack of sleep and much more to do with the fact that those that don't pull all-nighters are generally better at managing their time and so give their projects all the time they deserve.
Josh "Trin"
4. Kevin had the following to say on Dec 18 at 10:20 AM:
I agree with Mary. A correlation doesn't necessarily indicate cause and effect.
I would be more inclined to believe that those who never pull all nighters are that way because they've been studying regularly and are on top of their work.
I fairly certain that I did better on the projects and tests I stayed up all night for than I would have done if I thought "no, just get some sleep, so you can focus in the morning." However, had I been prepared enough to be ready for it AND sleep, no contest.
5. Carrie (the original) had the following to say on Dec 18 at 10:21 AM:
I pulled one all nighter in college and came close to pulling another dozens of times. The all-nighter was for my first term paper as a freshman. After that I learned to read the syllabi . . . oh how clueless I was. . .
6. Anna had the following to say on Dec 18 at 10:23 AM:
I'm inclined to think it's because good students plan ahead to complete assignments, so they don't need to pull all-nighters. Someone who's regularly staying up all night to get things done at the last minute is probably already a poor student.
If I HAVE to get something done and don't have enough time for a full night's sleep, I go to bed at 9 or 10 p.m. and set the alarm for 3 or 4 a.m. At least that way I'm a little more awake than if I'd stayed up without any sleep at all. Only works if you have a really loud alarm clock, though. :)
7. Chris Roberts had the following to say on Dec 18 at 11:15 AM:
What the study did not reveal is important - those who needed to pull an all-nighter but did not ended up doing worse than students who needed to pull an all-nighter and did. :)
I've pulled a few too many in my time (usually at least a few a semester) and while I can tell my work is not as good, it's better than not having anything at all to turn in.
8. Derek Wong had the following to say on Dec 18 at 11:18 AM:
Haha my first all-nighter was AFTER finals were over. I wanted to finish graduation gifts for my friends. :P
Unfortunately for me, that wasn't my last one.
9. Jacob Douvier had the following to say on Dec 18 at 11:33 AM:
I pulled a few all-nighters when I was in college, however they were all during finals week when I had to finish (and sometimes present) a paper, plus take an 8am final the same (and next) morning. While the papers usually turned out fine (other than the one that had to be written in German), the finals were usually not so hot. One time, I looked down and realized that I had randomly written "bob" in the middle of my essay on modern philosophers.
10. Anastasia had the following to say on Dec 18 at 11:44 AM:
To the people who think that keeping up with your studies prevents you from pulling all nighters, think again.
My major was music. I had one semester where I had 18 credits and 11 - count'em - 11 different classes, mostly music which required reading, writing, performing or anything else with music. It was not possible to keep up with all those classes. That semester was not a fluke, either. Music classes are notorious for being only 1 to 3 credits apiece, therefore any other person in college taking 16 credits probably is taking four or five classes, while a music major is taking many many more.
So yeah. I pulled allnighters to keep my work load in control, and I was always working, whether it was rehearsals, performances (these things had no credit), writing music, practicing music, reading music, reading about music, and then all the other liberal arts courses required.
Sorry, it doesn't fly with me.
I graduated with a 3.33 GPA.
11. Suzanne had the following to say on Dec 18 at 11:56 AM:
Jacob,
:) Ha!
12. Rachael had the following to say on Dec 18 at 12:42 PM:
While it's possible that some people who don't pull all-nighters may get better grades than some people who do, I think everyone just operates differently. Some people get good grades without putting a ton of effort into their studies; some people need to work really hard for the good grades. Some people may concentrate a lot on studying every day while others might concentrate more on outside activites...Anyway, it can be harder to think more clearly when you're struggling to stay awake, but I wonder if staying up late to meet the deadlines can push some people to work harder and possibly more efficiently than they would have had they been working on an assignment for a long time. I also wonder if the amount of sleep one needs is relatively relative. :) I think some people can still operate just fine with little sleep, while some really feel like they need a lot. I don't know... It is nice to be able to get more sleep now, though, now that I'm no longer a student.
13. Rebekah had the following to say on Dec 18 at 1:05 PM:
Never pulled an all-nighter in undergrad, although I came close in gradschool (oh the misery).
Now that I'm working, I sometimes stay up too late working on projects. The office ladies laugh b/c they think 24 is too young to be staying up late with a knitting project--even if Christmas is 7 days away.
14. Rebekah had the following to say on Dec 18 at 1:08 PM:
although, the super late nights in grad school, always started 1-2 weeks before an exam and the day or so before, I would be sure to get an almost full night of sleep.
15. tom had the following to say on Dec 18 at 1:11 PM:
Only works if you have a really loud alarm clock, though. :)
Or get one like my daughter has. It's on tiny wheels, and once it goes off it randomly moves around the room, forcing her to get out of bed to turn off its loud buzzing--before her roommate strangles her.
16. aj had the following to say on Dec 18 at 1:15 PM:
I saw this article and had to laugh! I'm not saying I'm the norm, but countless all-nighters helped me graduate summa cum laude! I would have never gotten such good grades without studying and writing at night. All my other time was taken up with my campus jobs that paid for my education. I hardly ever did an all-nighter in high school and did pretty well, but I did so much better in college. LOL... I also burned out after 4 years! Not a recommended course of action, but it worked for me. :)
17. BB had the following to say on Dec 18 at 1:22 PM:
Another study was done to show that you retain the most temporary memory (cramming for a test then forgetting it the next week) after being awake 24 to 30 hours. After 36 hours, the study goes to show your body and mind really starts to slow and you lose much of the benefit of that cram time.
The moral is you shouldn't cram if you want to actually retain the information however the most effective cramming is an all-niter with an early morning test.
Also, another study showed Caffeine in moderation (no more then a cup of coffee) helps you think clearer in the morning which carries over through out the whole day but in excess actually makes your mind scattered.
What do you think? I think there's something to that. I remember my over night cramming where once I got over the fact that I wasn't going to bed any time soon, I was able to really put my thinking cap on and do some really good studying/writing. That was typically around 4 in the morning and peaked around 6. Lucky for me, most college finals started at 8:00.
18. BB had the following to say on Dec 18 at 1:30 PM:
Kevin, you make a very good point. Like all psychology experiments, you have to take them with a grain of salt. One of my favorite examples of this is how ice cream sales affects crime. The saying goes like this.
100% of the time that ice cream sales rise, so does crime.
That is a fact however that fact points to a correlation and not the cause. Probably heat is the more likely trigger but a psychologist can try to prove that we should shut down Dairy Queen because this data.
19. Chrysti had the following to say on Dec 18 at 1:42 PM:
I don't think I needed research to tell me this... I was one of those people who budgeted her time enough so I had no need to. The one time I tried to pull an all-nighter was my junior year, and I didn't even make it... I ended up going to bed at 2 am... even after a cup of coffee at 11 pm. :o)
20. Christina had the following to say on Dec 18 at 2:09 PM:
I don't think I ever pulled an all nighter - unless it was for a sorority event or something.
I know it pissed all my roommates off. I'd sit on my bed writing down dates on my white board over and over again trying to memorize the entire period of the Crusades for my history test. After about an hour, I'd have it perfect, turn out my light, and go to bed...
Or better yet, head out to my boyfriend's and play Kingdom Hearts =p
21. Denisha had the following to say on Dec 18 at 3:02 PM:
Thats common sense! I had pulled numberous all-nighters but they only seem to make my grades worse.
I hate college, I should have went to trade school.
22. KJ had the following to say on Dec 18 at 4:01 PM:
I pulled only one all-nighter in college, and it wasn't even intentional - I took headache medicine with caffeine one night at 9:30PM knowing I had to take the edge off the headache long enough to study for the next day's exam - and I was fully intending to be asleep by midnight. The wee hours are a great time to do laundry, in case anyone is wondering, but if the way I felt the next day (and the rest of the week) was any imitation of a hangover, I have all the reasons I need to never, ever touch alcohol!
23. Anna had the following to say on Dec 18 at 4:09 PM:
Anastasia:
I'm not accusing everyone who's ever pulled an all-nighter of being a bad student, just pointing out an alternate interpretation of the study.
It's true that circumstances sometimes require less-than-ideal sleep patterns, but good time management skills can make a huge difference. I'm a senior in college and will be graduating summa cum laude (GPA above 3.8). Last week I worked 30+ hours (including 12 overnight), wrote two major papers, and aced five final exams in senior-level classes. If I hadn't done as much as I could beforehand and prioritized my sleep time, I probably would have had a nervous breakdown.
24. Carrie Lea had the following to say on Dec 18 at 4:14 PM:
Well, there were the multiple English papers that I poured my heart into, drafting and re-drafting them ahead of time, only to receive an 89 in the class.
Then there was the science research paper that I completed, research and all, within the last possible 24 hours. (I received a 95 and a comment from the professor: "I can tell you spent a lot of time on this.") :-}
25. Kit had the following to say on Dec 18 at 4:45 PM:
Me too, Anastasia. I did not pull many all-nighters, but, when I did I didn't find them to affect me all that much. Probably because, as a music major taking 18 credits (well over 8 classes, each semester), well, I didn't get that much sleep anyway. Coffee's a wonderful thing. :-)
26. Stephanie had the following to say on Dec 18 at 8:24 PM:
I'm a college student, and I haven't had to pull an all-nighter yet, thank goodness. :) I just don't do well with lack of sleep.
I sympathize with the people who are too overworked to get enough sleep, but doesn't good time management include not taking on more work than you can handle? :)
I think that lack of sleep works for college students because you can over-stress your body when you're young without too many consequences. On the other hand, there might be consequences in a few years. Anyway, pushing oneself to get work done at the last minute probably doesn't work so well for situations that require adult responsibility.
27. Sara had the following to say on Dec 18 at 10:28 PM:
This is so timely. And pathetic: I'm in the middle of my third ever 'double all-nighter' - I don't know why I do this to myself. It warms my heart to hear about people who are gentle with themselves and budget their time so well like Chrysti, but I swear I just don't even have the capacity for that kind of self-control in me.
That's so funny about your daughter's alarm clock, tom! I love those novelty alarm clocks that make you laugh in the morning: my friend has this angry-face sargeant one that jumps up and down and barks 'Geeeeeet up! Get up! Get Up!' until you bang its helmet to turn it off.
28. Jordan Reed had the following to say on Dec 19 at 12:50 AM:
The irony of this article is I'm in the process of "pulling an all-nighter" right now. The sad part is the semester was over last week, this is my 4th straight night working on it, and I only have 4 pages done, with another 8 to go (hey, I get easily distracted).
So yes, the study (and Josh "Trin") is accurate. People who pull the all nighters are usually taking hits on their GPAs, but like Josh said, that is mainly because the type of people that put themselves in these last minute spots are slackers.
29. Don had the following to say on Dec 19 at 2:02 AM:
I never pulled all nighters in college, because I know that after midnight, nothing I write is very good.
Now I feel like I'm making up for it with my late night schedule for work, but at least I still get several hours of sleep every day so is it really an all nighter?
30. Adam Sloope had the following to say on Dec 19 at 7:31 AM:
I feel kind of guilty reading this post. I pull an all nighter at least twice a month, mostly for work purposes though. I make comments like, "I wish I had more time," and, "Sleep is a waste of time, I could be doing things." Well, I've learned these are both false statements through experience. Even when I do pull all nighters I seem to always go do some laundry, get journaling done, and when I finally get down to studying I am highly uninterested and not motivated to actually study rather than just answer questions and cram. The reality is that I am just a poor manager of time. I think that because we are young, we think that we can cram our days full of things and just not sleep because we know our bodies will heal quickly. You are very resilient when you are younger. But the harsh truth we must all face is we must be better managers of our time. So maybe instead of playing basketball or meeting up with a friend at SBux, I will go home and study for a couple hours. That is much more effective than relying on Red Bull to keep me from falling out after an all nighter.
31. Amanda L had the following to say on Dec 19 at 8:20 AM:
Ha. I have pulled one semi-voluntary allnighter in my entire life.
That was staying with a friend at an emergency room until 6am.
Then I promptly went home to sleep.
Other than that, the only all-nighters for me have been due to insomnia or overly loud sleepovers that left me grouchy and sleep-deprived.
32. Anastasia had the following to say on Dec 19 at 10:56 AM:
Kit - I hear ya. Coffee is definitely a gift from God when you're a music major.
My oldest daughter just finished her bachelors in music and yes, she had the same deal at a different school from where I went. And she was constantly at her work as I was.
33. Mike Theemling had the following to say on Dec 19 at 1:49 PM:
To echo studies I've read, those who pulled all-nighters tend not to do very much better than those who at least get some sleep.
Again, this needs to be tempered with some the fact that person A who studies X all night will know more than person B who did not study at all and thus knows nothing.
Perhaps the ultimate moral of the story is that by the time you get to the point where you will cramming anyway it's already too late.
34. Sheria had the following to say on Feb 27 at 3:09 AM:
ha! so convicted...just got my face cracked...as i am reading this article @ 5:07 in the morning...
lol