As students, many of you have faced situations where you are not certain whether to study or to sleep, some of you are not even sure how to even study! Just recently I found myself in such situation. I had a project to finish, but the evening was getting late. Since simply ditching the assignment was not an option, I came up with two options: Stay up until I was done it or go to bed and get up early to finish it. I decided to go to bed and wake up rested. After researching what the best course of action really would have been, I found out that I had made the right decision.

A 2012 study at UCLA has interesting input on the subject. They show that the right way to do work is to go to sleep then wake up the next morning and finish the homework or project. The research says that teens who stay up late at night cramming are more likely to have academic problems the following day. None of us want that, so why not just go to sleep?

By giving up sleep for studying, your body tries to go into sleep mode throughout the day. Instead of simply being awake during the day, your body is struggling to stay awake. This struggle makes it harder for one to perform on tests, quizzes, assignments, and homework

Teenagers tend to require more sleep than adults adults do. On average, adults need anywhere from seven to eight hours while teenagers should aim for about nine to ten hours a night.

As a student, sacrificing sleep for studies comes with a big risk and could even potentially be harmful to your body.

If you think you are right by staying awake and cramming late into the night,  you are sadly mistaken. Enjoy your sleep and go to bed as early as you feel the need.