“Why are you always tired?” is a question that I get asked far too much and honestly I couldn’t even supply you with a good answer. I have many reasons to be tired but recently, I can fall asleep ANYWHERE. While being in the neck of exam season, I thought it would be fun to supply you with accurate information of how many people are feeling slumped and tired just like you, why, and to what extent.
Before we start I want to say that on average, you should be getting around 8-10 hours of sleep each night, as a teenager, to have a regular sleep schedule with bedtime around maybe 10pm and morning around 8 or if you have school, earlier. This number may have to be more or less considering if you are a student athlete or if you are younger or older but this is what I would say the basic guideline.
Anyway, during exam season, fewer than 10% of student manage to get the recommended eight hours of sleep, with many averaging only about 6 hours per night without cutting sleep to cram in more study time. But there have been actual studies done that say every hour of lost sleep can reduce next-day learning efficiency by up to 12.5%. The “All-Nighter” Myth is something that some teens do in exam season because they think that if they review all night, they will have fresh knowledge in their mind for their morning exam. Well I would hate to break this to them but this can actually impair their brain function similar to a blood alcohol level of 0.05% which absolutely sabotaged your exam performance.
During exam season, I would like to mention that sleep is the most important part of your routine. It doesn’t matter how much you might study; if you don’t rest that brain of yours, it will get tired and forget. When researched, science actually says that bad sleep during exam season can degrade your core cognitive function and weaken your prefrontal cortex. Have you ever felt just so mentally drained by any factor of life whether it be school, sports, family affairs, or friends that you feel plummeted and burnt out? Well I have and I can tell you that coffee, the one thing giving me energy, was impairing my sleep and when I thought I was resting, my body was actually working to try to fall asleep.
So during exam season, maintain a strict, consistent sleep/wake schedule, stop study session at least an hour before bed to wind down, utilize some daytime exercise, and as much as you may want to do this one, limit your caffeine intake in the afternoon so that you will be able to have a deeper sleep and wake up in the morning ready for those tests!
