Back to Uni - The Importance Of Good Sleep When Studying

"Pulling an all-nighter", cramming your studies deep into the night on the eve of tests and exams just seems like one of those standard things that you do as a student.

But many scientific tests have found that late nights of studying, at the expense of sleep, can actually be detrimental to performance and results. A study of 535 Los Angeles high school students in 2013 showed that students who sacrificed sleep to do extra studying actually fared worse than those who didn't.

As stated in Science Daily: “Although researchers expected that the extra hours of studying that ate into sleep time might create problems in terms of students’ understanding of what they were taught in class, they were surprised to find that diminishing sleep in order to study was actually associated with doing more poorly on a test, quiz, or homework.”

“Reduced sleep … accounts for the increase in academic problems occuring after days of increased studying, ” UCLA scientist Andrew Fuligni said.

“Although these nights of extra studying may seem necessary, they can come at a cost.”

So what can you do about it?

Always balance work and play sensibly. And don't oversleep in the mornings, as you'll awake up groggy and lacking in energy.

Dr Philip Alapat, medical director, Harris Health Sleep Disorders Center says: "Any prolonged sleep deprivation will affect your mood, energy level and ability to focus, concentrate and learn, which directly affects your academic performance." Here he offers several tips to improve performance when studying:

• Get 8-9 hours of sleep nightly (especially before final exams)
• Try to study during periods of optimal brain function (usually around 6-8 p.m.)
• Avoid studying in early afternoons, usually the time of least alertness
• Go easy on the Red Bull (or pints of Nescafe - that's what this writer's stimulant of choice was, no such thing as Red Bull in his day). Caffeine remains in one's system for 6-8 hours.
• Recognise that chronic sleep deprivation may contribute to development of long-term diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

So you agree you need good sleep, right? But what will you be sleeping on, and who might you be sharing your bed with?

If you're serious about doing well, understanding the need for deep, rejuvenating sleep, then don't leave your sleeping environment to chance.

Think what an inherited mattress could look like in your student digs. What kind of person had the mattress before you? How old is it? How hygienic is it? Did you know there could be as many as two million dust-mites in an old mattress? That could play chronic havoc with your sleep patterns, especially if you're an allergy sufferer.

Can you take that chance when exam season comes a-calling? If you're managing to be disciplined enough to get to bed at a sensible hour - not always the easiest thing to do as a student with so many distractions - then don't allow yourself to be frustrated at the fact you can't get to sleep as quickly as you'd like, or that the quality of your sleep is such that your mattress keeps waking you up through pressure points  on your body, heat, creaking and protruding springs, or a general lack of comfort and support. We can help!

Dormeo's "Back to Uni" Bedroom Bundle

We've put together what we call our "Back to Uni" bundle for you...

It's a bunch of great sleep products from Dormeo that will give you that extra lift and will allow your mind and body to recover from the the gruelling and arduous fun-seeking, the nerve-laden exam preparation, and the inevitable partying once exam season is over. It contains:

• A 13.5 tog Duvet>
• An Anti-Allergy Mattress Protector >
• A Dormeo Memosan anatomic memory foam pillow.

And how about a mattress?

Well, Dormeo's memory foam mattresses come pre-rolled for convenience and cleanliness, and are highly portable, which makes it so easy to pop one into the boot of the car on your way to Uni. Alternatively, just order online and we'll deliver it direct, typically within 3-5 business days. 

We'd highly recommend a Dormeo Memory Fresh> mattress. It's one of our best-sellers, comes with Sanitized protection, and you can get a single mattress for only £149 right now! You get FREE delivery, a FREE Memosan memory foam pillow, and a 30 night guarantee.