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March 29, 2024, 06:26:38 am

Author Topic: Study and sleep tips  (Read 1868 times)  Share 

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mabajas76

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Study and sleep tips
« on: March 19, 2021, 12:19:30 am »
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Hi hope everyone is well, so am doing some incredibly work intensive subjects, and whilst I able to manage the work load I have hit a bit of a snag. Whenever I get home I am always tired and so end up falling asleep until like 7 or dinner and procrastinating my work until like 10pm. From there I basically stay up until around 2-4 in the morning (record is like 4:50) and since I get up at 6:30 to get to school on time, I have found myself severely sleep deprived. I know the solution is obvious, just do work when I get home but it seems like no matter what I try I either fall asleep or just can't summon the motivation to start. Has anybody had any issues that are similar? If so what helped you increase your sleep/motivation?
Thanks!
"Don't give up, and don't put too much effort into things that don't matter"-Albert Einstein, probably.

fun_jirachi

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Re: Study and sleep tips
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2021, 10:03:59 am »
+10
imo your situation sounds like an awful cycle - your lack of sleep in the morning causes you to be tired, and when you wake up from your naps it's really tough to get motivated to work which you do, but not quickly enough to complete all your work before a reasonable bedtime, which results in more lack of sleep. You really need to break this cycle somehow to increase sleep and motivation, since it's detrimental to both. The easiest time to fix something like this is over the weekend - do absolutely no work for 1-2 hrs before a reasonable bedtime (given you wake up at 6:30, something like 10-11pm is probably good). Get a good night's sleep, then make sure you wake up at 6:30 (almost like you're going to school). Procrastination is tough to stop - best thing you can do is set rigid deadlines as opposed to something vague like 'yeah probably get that done by Tuesday'. Try to remove distractions the best way you can (avoid using electronics where you can, it's almost too easy to procrastinate on a phone, laptop, etc.).

Hope everything works out for you, good luck!
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dutyfree

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Re: Study and sleep tips
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2021, 12:27:25 pm »
+7
Hey hey,
Wow, ok so I had this exact routine in year 12 and it was the worst. I used sleep as potential time to use for cramming, procrastinating or work. This created a terrible system where I moved my circadian rhythm cycle so forward, that I couldn’t physically fall asleep until 4am. 

Anyways, I’ve tried everything, blue light glasses, green tea, melatonin pills etc.
Biggest tip is, it’s all about self-discipline. Start out slowly, say your current bedtime is 4am, force yourself to sleep by 3am for a week (move it back an hour). Consistently, move it back by 30mins – 1hr. Personally, this was really hard for me, especially the nap in the middle because I was so mentally and physically deprived of the only time your brain is actually supposed to rest in. I allowed myself that nap for 30-1hour at the start, but eventually tried to eliminate it by being extra tired on days without any upcoming assessments (so I would definitely sleep at the correct bedtime.)

In summary, incrementally move back your bedtime (by 30-60mins) and practice that for a week (it’s okay if you break the habit, just begin again the day after), and the same advice for devices (incrementally move back the time to not touch it), if you are an avid caffeine drinker like me, switch to an alternative (I now only drink Milo or hot chocolate). 

This current system is pretty tough to get out of, but you can do it pal! I understand the struggle, I’m still fixing it and trying to keep to a strict routine (even when I fall back into the 4am sleep routine).
 :)
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Snow Leopard

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Re: Study and sleep tips
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2021, 10:33:17 pm »
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//
how did you do so well with so little sleep?

Bri MT

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Re: Study and sleep tips
« Reply #4 on: April 18, 2021, 08:28:47 am »
+6
I think you've been given great advice before but some tips for procrastination:

- when you choose to procrastinate, you're not just choosing you procrastinate then,  you're also choosing to build that habit
- sometimes procrastination comes from feeling overwhelmed. Tackling underlying anxiety issues can help with this
- Try the 5 minute rule (see link in my about being productive if unsure)
- set an alarm to remind you when to start studying
- do not disturb mode on your laptop for things like discord notifications.
- change your space somehow for study vs chilling. Break the association that sitting down at desk = instant chill time.

dutyfree

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Re: Study and sleep tips
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2021, 01:16:30 pm »
+4
Quote from: Snow Leopard
how did you do so well with so little sleep?

Well, unfortunately and frankly, I have no clue. I was running on adrenaline, stress and really strong tea.
I thought I was in the 1% of people who can survive with 4 hours of sleep and I did, but no Paramore, I was not the only exception.
Because I was so so wrong, the consequences came out only a year later, sleeping disorders, seizures, anxiety and many more lovely things.
If I could give only one piece of advice to anyone, please please don’t underestimate the value of sleep.

Random tips:
I sacrificed my summer holidays to get ahead, attended seminars on how to perform well in exams and sacs, bought past student’s notes and tips and studied about half the content, learning off random resources.
Slightly weird tip: looked at stats to find the subjects my school performed the best in, (this may not work for everyone as I tend to find interest in any subject as long as its taught well) and picked up a couple of those.
After each sac, I met up with teachers to ask how to fix and not repeat the mistakes for next time.
I used to write my goals in small cards and read them every once in a while. 
(please take this with a tiny grain of salt - In my experience, I actually don’t recommend tutoring unless you are genuinely struggling, and you need a tutor who 1. Doesn’t teach their rigid curriculum 2. Can modify their teaching to address your weaknesses or you are doing a language and you need exposure to a native speaker)
 :)
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mabajas76

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Re: Study and sleep tips
« Reply #6 on: April 18, 2021, 10:50:07 pm »
+1
Ok wow thanks a ton for all your tips! i was able to get to a much better sleeping time! The slow change of time that I would consider sleeping helped a fair bit so thanks a ton! I do have some nights where I end up staying up (new record of literally not sleeping but I was having a mild allergic reaction and so it was not very normal) but besides that I have definitely improved, again thanks a lot for ur advice.
"Don't give up, and don't put too much effort into things that don't matter"-Albert Einstein, probably.

Stormbreaker-X

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Re: Study and sleep tips
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2021, 11:00:21 am »
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Force yourself to sleep early and avoid falling asleep after school (trust me on this, I have been there before). I noticed that if you fall asleep after school it is harder to sleep later on.