Is Napping Better for Test Taking Than Cramming?
This article discusses the number one thing college students lack... sleep!
Most students tend to lose sleep for various reasons, but the most productive (or maybe the least?) reason would be cramming. Cramming is the art of attempting to feverishly teach oneself everything that should have been learned over the course of the semester. However, according to this article, perhaps the precious few moments before leaving one's dorm to hike to the classroom should be used less for last second studying and more for sleeping.
The article discusses the importance of re-consolidation, a process that takes place most strongly during sleep. The idea being expressed is that the nap will allow for information to be processed and stored more effectively, and thus be more useful to dig up during the exam. While the notion behind this is in good intent, there may be a flaw in the understanding of re-consolidation. In order for the nap to be effective, one would need to enter REM, which in a short nap, probably will not be the case. Another sad-but-true challenge to this idea is that in order for the nap to store and process information during sleep, the information must enter the brain in the first place. This might mean that cramming still has its use.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2112972-napping-before-an-exam-is-as-good-for-your-memory-as-cramming/
Most students tend to lose sleep for various reasons, but the most productive (or maybe the least?) reason would be cramming. Cramming is the art of attempting to feverishly teach oneself everything that should have been learned over the course of the semester. However, according to this article, perhaps the precious few moments before leaving one's dorm to hike to the classroom should be used less for last second studying and more for sleeping.
The article discusses the importance of re-consolidation, a process that takes place most strongly during sleep. The idea being expressed is that the nap will allow for information to be processed and stored more effectively, and thus be more useful to dig up during the exam. While the notion behind this is in good intent, there may be a flaw in the understanding of re-consolidation. In order for the nap to be effective, one would need to enter REM, which in a short nap, probably will not be the case. Another sad-but-true challenge to this idea is that in order for the nap to store and process information during sleep, the information must enter the brain in the first place. This might mean that cramming still has its use.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2112972-napping-before-an-exam-is-as-good-for-your-memory-as-cramming/
Super relative information! I used to stay up late studying or cramming all the time, but recently I've realized how counter-productive that is for me. I couldn't concentrate or remember a lot of what I'd stayed up studying.
ReplyDeleteNow I study, make sure to get a sufficient amount of sleep, and do a quick review before an exam. So much better! It's like we talked about in class: sleep is essential for the storage of long-term memory.
This was one of my favorite articles to read because as a college student, cramming has become a sort of way of life. Over the years, I have been told that if you are doing all nighters or cramming for a test the night before, try to take 20 minute nap breaks. Because of this article, I can now see ow that could be counterproductive due to the fact that one has to be in REM sleep in order process the information you spent so long studying. I could take this article and apply it to my daily life.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very important topic as college student. I think there needs to be more awareness of the importance of sleep for long term memory. As college students, we are told it is important to get good grades no matter the cost. When in reality, it is counterproductive when studying for a test. After learning about this, I have started to get more sleep before a test instead of cramming and staying up late.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article because the information was extremely relatable. As a college student, I am constantly cramming and/or staying up late to finish homework assignments. However, I have come to realize that this system is extremely counter-productive, due to the fact that I could study for hours and hours, but if I do not get enough sleep at night, I will not remember any of the information that I crammed in the night before a test.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the argument made in this article. I have noticed from personal experience that napping is more effective than cramming. When I am cramming for a test I am not retaining the information and I end up just going over the same thing 100 times because I wasn't fully alert.
ReplyDeleteThis article is definitely relatable as a college student, but I also read an article that talked about this but when dealing with children. The article stated how when teacher younger children who still take a nap at school, you should teach the most important information right before they go to sleep. I find it interesting that these two articles are similar even though the subjects are very different.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the argument you posted, but the nap could provide energy for your brain which could potentially give faster neural connections to retrieve memory?
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be an interesting read. I think cramming and napping aren't going to always benefit someone's test taking. I learned in one of my classes that studying over time is way more beneficial than just cramming the night before. Although, cramming might help someone get a decent grade on a test, you might not retain all the information. This article talks about napping helping one's test taking but I think that would have to depend on how much was taught on the information and if their was any prior knowledge. Napping without any sort of review wouldn't fully benefit someone. Although, taking a nap in between studying might be a good idea to give your brain a break and be able to start fresh.
ReplyDeleteThis article caught my attention because I occasionally find myself having to choose between cramming the night before/ the morning of an exam or sleeping. Personally, I have found that cramming can be effective only when immediately asked to "regurgitate" the information but if any interference (for instance someone talking about something irrelevant) is experienced between the cram session and the exam the information quickly goes away. I think a possible explanation for why napping could be more beneficial than cramming is because cramming puts a person into a state of anxiety/panic and napping puts a person into a state of relaxation. Being someone that has suffered from test anxiety in the past, it makes sense that people would perform better when they are not in a state of panic to retain all the information. Lastly typically when people lay their head down to sleep, they begin to recall things that they were trying to remember during the day, such as a name of a person that they saw. The process of taking a nap allows the brain to rest and not be clouded with the countless amount of stimuli we experienced throughout the day, which allows connections to be made that may be helpful during a test.
ReplyDelete