With anticipation and preparation for midterms, it’s common to stay up late to study. Students may feel overloaded with work and study guides for their tests, causing them to cram their studies in late night sessions.
Though this may be regular practice for some students, there is little evidence of this practice helping academically.
“I do better when I get enough sleep because I can think clearly,” said DSC student Kyra Sproul.
This is further confirmed by DSC lab coordinator, Bryan Alexander. “I definitely do see a difference whenever a student is expressing exhaustion or being sleep deprived,” he said. “When I grade the test, I usually see they didn’t do as well.”
Though late night study sessions allow students to review for a test, it may not cause the expected results.
“Consensus exists today that sleep is strictly linked to memory, learning and, in general, to mechanisms of neural plasticity,” said Maurizio Gorgoni, from the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome,in a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
The brain is a complex organ and is not well understood. Scientists have theorized that memory could be linked to the plasticity of the brain, affecting the ways in which it forms pathways.
“Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to learn, remember and change when it is appropriate for the circumstances,” said Andrew E. Budson, Chief of Cognitive and Behavior Neurology at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, in the Harvard Health Publishing website.
The brain has trouble forming pathways when plasticity is impaired. Sleep deprivation can impact the way the brain perceives the information it is given, as well as the likelihood that the information will be retained and remembered.
Gorgoni and his colleagues said in their study that “memory consolidation is impaired also in different clinical samples characterized by disturbed sleep.”
The results of both studies reinforce the theorized connection between sleep deprivation and memory.
While sleep deprivation can cause negative effects to studying efficiency, the opposite is found for studying in moderation, with proper sleep.
“When you repeat certain thoughts or behaviors, you develop well-worn pathways in your brain,” said Tracey Marks, a psychiatrist certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neuro, in an article from Marks Psychiatry.
Studying through several intervals allows for the pathways in the brain to develop, deepening the understanding of information, allowing the brain to recall it more effectively compared to cram studying.
This information is confirmed by Mario Stampanoni Bassi, Unit of Neurology at the Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare in Italy, and his colleagues in a study published by the National Library of Medicine.
“Synaptic plasticity refers to the ability of neurons to modify the strength of their connections and is an important neurophysiological process involved in brain networks development and reorganization,” said Bassi.
DSC chemistry professor, John Picione explained that using multiple assignments allows his students to provide the best results on their tests. Picione walked students through a study guide in class, then later assigned a new study guide to be completed at home.
Picione’s study method creates repetitive behaviors for students and allows their brain neurons to form pathways around the information that is given. Bassi refers to this kind of studying as “reorganization.”
While there is an observable connection between sleep loss, neuroplasticity, and memory, due to the complexity of the brain, it is still unconfirmed. However, researchers find strong connections between the elements.
As midterm season approaches, research shows study intervals and adequate sleep may correlate to a better test grade.