Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Can the cramming
Sleep and snacks can help with test success.
JONATHAN ROBERTS
Blacksburg High School Eleventh-grader Carter Gaylord studies at Blacksburg High School.
Have you ever fallen asleep on your textbooks while trying to pull an all-night study session for an exam?
I know I have. Despite the many cups of hot cocoa my mother gives me when I am trying to cram, I still keep falling asleep.
If you have a similar story, or are just trying to rid yourself of your bad study habits, listen up because here are some study ideas for those of you who can't pull the all-nighters.
n Don't cram. This may be a hard one for the majority of students, especially considering this is the usual way to go when studying for exams. But, teachers are right when they encourage you to budget your time wisely and not cram the night before.
Think of it this way: The more material you study beforehand, the less you'll have to study the night before. Translation: You might actually be able to sleep the night before your exam.
n Wake up early the day of the exam. If you are unsure about material for an exam, get up early that morning and study. That way you will have slept and you'll be fresh enough to actually retain the information you are studying.
n Eat a healthy breakfast. The reason you've heard this one ad nauseam is because studies have shown that students who eat breakfast do much better in school than those who don't.
You see, after a whole night of sleeping, your brain is essentially starving, so your brain needs glucose (sugar) to fuel itself. So, if you eat the next morning, you are providing your brain with that fuel. According to Terrill Bravender, professor of pediatrics at Duke University, the brain doesn't function nearly as well without you having eaten something.
OK, I'll admit that I have yet to actually follow some of these tips for studying. Still, with exams right around the corner, what better time to make use of the tips than now?
That being said, I'll get working on the first tip. Who wants to join me?
The Web site www.npr.org contributed to this story.
