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University Daily Kansan, December 7, 1982
Stimulants harmful to all-night studiers
In what often is a last-ditch effort to make up for lost studying time, many college students gulp cup after cup of coffee. If they do both — the night before a final exam.
Yet many students are not aware of the consequences, says Sydney Schroeder, director of the Mental Health Clinic at Watkins Hospital.
Another factor in using drugs to study all night is the question of information retention. While there is no real evidence as yet to whether ammonia can be reduced (etc.), diminish retention, they certainly don't increase it, Schroeder said.
SCHROEDER SAID that usually a student who pulled an all-nighter would not be in good condition to take an exam.
"The stimulants are counterproductive in that they have a rebound effect," Schroeder said. "The student may be able to study all night, but it is important to begin to experience rebound depression, where he can't think clearly."
Schroeder said the various stimulants students took could help them stay awake while they studied, but they also were counterproductive.
Pressures from family and the educational system are partly responsible for the students" life or death of finals and other exams, he said.
Schroeder said that there were better methods of staying awake that were better suited to the task.
Here is a list of recommendations:
- If you're going to use a stimulant, stick to coffee. The caffeine is not as bad as the amphetamines, although the principle is the same.
—Allow some time for rest. Two or three hours of sleep is still better than none.
Interrupt your studying occasion-
to walk around, get fresh air, and
eat at the restaurant.
Psychologist Eric Hoddes, in the June 1977 issue of Psychology Today, recommended that the student sleep after studying, not before.
—If you are going to stay up all night studying, do it two or three nights before the exam. Your body needs the time to recuperate. If planning that far ahead, do the test early and sleep before taking the test. Studies show that you will get a better grade.
Recent research found that those who slept after memorizing material recalled more than those who stayed awake.
"If you don't plan to go over and relearn material you study, it is best to sleep a while, (four hours or longer, if possible) between the time you study and the time you have to recall the information," Hoddie said.
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