The years of academic struggle leads to several all-nighters. An exam date that approaches too quickly with a busy week, and other classes, worked, or the decision to be more social. Whatever the cause, you realize that the exam is the next day, you pull up your sleeves and get ready for an all-night cram session. The truth is this type of study session it’s counter-productive. Two things become relevant; you’re sleep-deprived, and your memory does not function.
First off, the memory. Memory and active learning, is where information is converted from short term to activate data, then into long term memory. The forgetting-curve, a graph given to me in a general biology syllabus; the chart showed a negative exponential curve. The forgetting curve shows that after the initial information is usually seen in lectures, not to forget but to review the information that day, that week, and this will convert the memory to the long term. Not considering the sections until the night before, and you are seeing the information for the first time again.
Second, the lack of sleep. When you stay up all night before an exam, it will be harder for you to get enough sleep. A sleep-deprived student sitting for a review may struggle to stay awake or begin to nod off during the exam. The student will also deal with mental fog, your brain unable to react to stimuli, unable to recall memory, and unable to be clear and concise. Even with loads of caffeine, depending on your tolerance, you might be jittery with heart palpitations.
I have done the all-nighter. I think everyone at one time or another will have come across a long night. My solution to prevent this is to keep an organized planner. Schedule out when to study. Make sure to review the material each week, whether just reading notes or making cards. What else have you noticed after an all-nighter? How do you prepare for an all-nighter, or how do you prevent an all-nighter?