Studying

Understanding Your Most Effective Study Time

Understanding Your Most Effective Study Time 

Every student knows that in order to do well in university, you have to study hard. 

This can be a daunting task, especially if you’re coming from high school where you were naturally gifted with all A’s and never had to crack open a text book. 

The key to studying well and maximizing your efficiency, however, is understanding what time of the day you function best. For some, this can be at the crack of dawn while you’re still sipping your first cup of joe. For others, its late at night when the rest of the world is asleep and you can finally get some peace and quiet. 

There’s no right or wrong time to study, but figuring out when you’re the most productive and efficient will help you tremendously when it comes to staying on top of your game all throughout university. 
Studying Early in the Day
First thing when you wake up, your mind is alert and clear. You’re not feeling weighed down from all the information thrown at you throughout the day, so its easier to focus on the tasks you have at hand, like studying for a big exam. 

If you prefer to study in the presence of others as a motivation factor, you can also make studying earlier in the day more social by turning it into a coffee date with friends. Psychology professor Jane Oakhill ran a study that showed studying early in the day is better when you’re trying to learn new information, which can be beneficial for figuring out any concepts you may not understand for the exam. 

Waking up early if you’re not naturally a morning person or don’t have early classes, however, can be a bit tricky. Your body’s natural melatonin levels also peak at 5:30 am, so if you try and get up too early, you could end up feeling more tired and falling back asleep. 

It can also be difficult to concentrate first thing in the morning when your blood sugar is at its lowest, so this may not be effective if you end up spending the entire time thinking about whether you should have eggs or pancakes for breakfast. 
Studying Late at Night

If studying in the morning doesn’t fit your schedule or you just can’t bring yourself to get up that early, you may find that studying in the quiet after-hours when the rest of the world has gone to sleep works better for you. 

This won’t work if you think you’ll need help studying, as your professor or TA likely won’t be able to help you in the middle of the night if you have a question regarding the material. 

Professor Oakhill’s study also showed that studying late at night is the best time to review concepts you’ve already learned, because when you go to sleep after your brain has time to process the information you’ve just studied without being overloaded with anything else. 

People who get up later have also shown to have lower cortisol levels than those who rise earlier, which means if you stay up and sleep in later, you’re less likely to be as stressed as those who wake up early. 

If you stay up late and have to wake up early the next day, however, this study schedule can prove to be ineffective, especially if you fall asleep in class or have trouble concentrating throughout the day. Staying up late doesn’t mean foregoing a night’s rest completely! 
Which Study Schedule Works for You? 
While both studying late at night and early in the morning have their benefits, its impossible to fit both into a healthy lifestyle. 

If you’re unsure which one will work best for you and your lifestyle, test them both (although not on the same day)! It largely depends on your personality and your schedule. If you have early morning classes or work, for example, staying up late at night will obviously not be very effective in the long run. 

Once you figure out your best study habits, however, you’ll be able to maximize the hours you study and do even better on all your future tests. 

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