How to Study in College: Sleep, Stress, and Exercise

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Which of these 3 areas (sleep, stress, exercise) do you think would help you the most as you strive to become a better student? How can you make small changes in these 3 areas to make your dreams of a better life come true?

[@jessiatwater8384]

I think sleep is a big one for me, just for the fact that i don't get enough of it. Working 40 hours a week or more, being a full time student, and being a mom just doesn't leave a lot of time to sleep. I think better time management would help with my sleep which would help with my stress level as well. I do try to go for walks with my son and our dogs to clear my head and get a little exercise, but i should do it more often.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

@@jessiatwater8384 Sleep is definitely the best place to start. You can't out eat bad sleep. You can't out exercise bad sleep. And poor sleep will definitely make stress harder to deal with. You hit the nail on the head. Now you just have to find time to hit they hay more :)

[@brendashimer5271]

I can easily say that for me lack of sleep is by far the most pressing changes I need to make in my life. Honestly though for me, time is something I am in super short supply on. I work on average 50 hours a week, raise my children on my own(aka... no help), and am taking classes online part-time. If I am lucky, I can get 6 hours of sleep any given night and that is if my youngest sleeps through the night... One thing I have going for me is that I don't procrastinate... although one draw back to this is that even though it would probably benefit me the most is to stop working to accomplish tasks and just allow myself to go to bed. I always worry I will get behind if I am not already ahead...

[@GrowGrayMatter]

@@brendashimer5271 You should be so proud of what you are accomplishing! I know how hard working and raising a family is, and I have my super awesome wife helping me!

[@ImJustAna10]

In high school I was VERY active in the gym because I did other extra circulars and wanted to keep my stamina up for my performances in soccer and show choir. And since I've been in college I have probably only been to the gym once every two or three months. I feel like I should get back to exercising because if I made it just as a priority as my school work, not only would I feel healthier but I would feel more productive and strive to study more.

[@jamaadcadey7092]

I believe sleep is the most important for students. When I am tired can’t think anything unless I take a least 15 minute nap to feel better.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Nothing else will work if your brain is fried from being too tired :).

[@cristianolivares8111]

Hearing you talk about this makes more sense to me now. Getting enough sleep will help you do everything better throughout the day. If we do not get enough sleep we will not be able to concentrate on the things we need to. I stopped lifting about 3 weeks ago because if was getting so busy with work and classes and i feel so much worse. When i would lift i would feel so great and happier and overall better, now i see why. Stress is a big thing that gets to me, i did not know it affected me this much, but now i do. I stress out about everything and it really does suck, it takes time away from things i need to do. Lifting helped out with the stress so now that i will be getting back into that i hope to stop stressing out a lot.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

When we are stressed our body wants to fight. I feel like exercise is the most productive way to let it do just that :)

[@enockmburu127]

Sometimes we study too much and deprive ourselves sleep. I am able to retain much information if I am well rested. I also like the idea of exercise that helps our brain develop.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

A little more sleep will always help more than a little more studying!!!

[@valerielangdeaux8816]

For me, SLEEP is a big one! Without it or lack there of, I am not in the learning mode and would be wasting my time trying. And I do agree when we exercise it makes our brains sharper and we are ready to learn and we can readily retain what we have learned. Val

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Sleep is such a powerful tool. I wish I could convince Oliver of that :)

[@patriciatorres7160]

I used to exercise 5 or 6 days a week, but now I can't find time to do it anymore. Sleep? If I sleep 6 hours a day is a miracle, so yes I have a lot of stress. Now I understand, even though I study a lot, I can't retain a 100 % of what I learned.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

You have now diagnosed the problem. The next step is finding solutions. Way easier said than done for sure!

[@shaykarr8740]

having enough sleep and exercise will greatly help me. also stress is a factor i am working on by lowering my work load at school. I'm trying to hit things hard now so when it comes down to my core classes i can focus on just those classes but retain what i learned in general. having enough sleep is hard when i have kids and lots of homework. having time is another key factor because i have things outside of classes that i need to get done and hard to focus on what needs to do.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Life would be so much easier if we could get 30 hours a day :)

[@calebmichel6233]

I really like the saying that says "nothing will work unless you do. " I am pretty good at making and prioritizing time for my studies, but I still need to work on some of the enemies of learning. Stress, distractions, and lack of of sleep are the three things that I need to work on. Sometimes, it is very hard for me to keep up with all the materials because I want to learn everything in my third language. I don't get enough sleep, which makes it very difficult for me to focus. It is getting better because I get more hours of sleep this semester than last semester.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Stress is easy to understand, and hard to conquer

[@seadolphin2001]

I really liked this talk as I have noticed the difference from when I used to exercise on a daily and getting enough sleep to now when I am not getting both. I have gone back to exercising and making sure I sleep more. My brain functions better as well as I feel way better. Things stick to my memory a lot more as well. I realized that even though I don't look or feel stressed, that exercising and sleeping helped me realize that I was in fact stressed. I feel more calm after exercising.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

It is good for the body, but great for the mind :)

[@telmaibarra7345]

I have become more aware with the saying at the beginning, ""nothing will work unless you do" recently I have allowed my stress to take over me and slept so I could not think about it and for that reason I have not done too hot on my last tests. My sleeping has been all over the place and I could tell that my body is not a big fan of it. I have recently began excising again and I have seen a big difference in my study performance and my motivation to get my work done. I have always enjoyed this method of regenerating my mental, physical, and emotional ability.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

I hope that you see huge improvements Telma :)

[@solomonwhitewing8163]

Man, I need to exercise. I always used to walk but now I have planters fasciitis and gets on my nerves. I really will be looking towards more cardio for the stress relief. I drink a lot of coffee and pop so I will lean towards cutting out soda-love coffee. I been trying to keep a good study schedule but like you were saying about the fight or flight mechanisms of stress which I think is the biggest proponent of not absorbing material. Im setting my clock for 6 am and taking notes and making flash cards-attack the day and lax!

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Isn't it crazy how something as "minor" as plantar fascitis can have a HUGE impact on our lives. I used to tell my patients that Motion is Life

[@christoriabiled4067]

This speaks to me because I never get much sleep. bonus video 4/5

[@GrowGrayMatter]

I feel your pain! :(

[@emilypeck3109]

My name is Emily Peck and I am in your microbiology class. I believe that sleep helps me the most. I always feel like I do more when I am well rested. If I don't sleep well it is hard to focus and I want to take naps. I could go to bed at a decent time and wake up at a decent time. I could plan more and study more so I am not as stressed all the time. Also I could maybe go outside and walk for an hour or go run to clear my mind to be less stressed.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

I love sleep so much! I plan on sleeping for about a month when Oliver goes off to college LOL

[@lilianjoel4985]

i think in this video its about mostly mesas a mother who has kids and goes to work most of the times i do not sleep well so i find myself sleeping on when reading, my daughter always tells me when i wake up i exercise after sleep take a shower so that when i study i have a fresh mind, am grateful to you as my teacher that most of the times i ignore my daughters advice on study i can learn it from you as a teacher so that i can improve my study habits in y career, thank you for giving me more information

[@rebeccadevries4915]

I am Rebecca DeVries from your Microbiology class. This video was very interesting to me. I didn't know that when you learn new information, that your brain decides when you are sleeping whether the new information is worth keeping or not. Another thing I didn't know about was that exercising helps you develop new brain cells. However, you have to use those new brain cells or else they will go away. My number one biggest enemy of learning is stress. I probably stress about everything. I knew that stress wasn't good for you, however I didn't know that stress weakens and destroys brain cells, and also makes your storage in your brain smaller. I also didn't know that when you are stressed out, its basically trying to help you survive and is not worried about information that you are trying to learn. I believe that stress is something that I am going to need to work on the most, because of the information you just gave which is shocking! Great Video!

[@GrowGrayMatter]

It is nice how these 3 things work together. Stress always stinks, but if you are sleeping well and exercising you can handle it better. Good luck!

[@twinders90]

The 2 enemies of learning that I most need to work on are lack and exercise and distraction. I know exercise helps me a great deal with stress and just makes me feel good know I’m on the right path to getting healthy. However, I’m just so busy with work, school, and raising my 3 year old son that it’s hard to get to the gym, although I pay for a membership each month. That is actually one of my goals that I need to work on in addition to drinking more water. As far as distractions go, Since I have a toddler, it’s sometimes hard to focus on studying because he either wants to play or the television is on or I have to get dinner ready, etc. Sometimes I spend 2-3 hours studying after he goes to bed, since he sleeps 10-12 hours a night, I’m still able to get 8-10 hours of rest, which is plenty. I don’t feel like I have a problem with procrastination because thankfully, I’m able to get a lot of school work done at my place of employment. I work as a customer service representative and it’s our slow season right now, so there’s 20-30 minutes between calls, which is the perfect amount of time for a study session. As far as stress and time management go, I feel like I’m pretty good in those 2 areas. Over the summer, I took a course called The College Experience and that helped me tremendously, we learned about management of time and stress, as well as study tips and how to use resources to succeed in college. In conclusion, this video was so motivating and encouraging and I will make it my goal to exercise more and study when I am least distracted, which would be when my son is in preschool, when he’s napping, and after he goes to bed. Great video!

[@GrowGrayMatter]

I completely understand Tara. These ideas are easy on the surface, but actually doing them with a 3 year-old is a whole different ball game. I have a 4 year-old, so I feel your pain for sure. Just focus on the small things and make progress towards your goals. It is definitely a great idea to focus on things when your son is in school or asleep :)

[@jolenevanderwaal2912]

I have started to exercise because since I started school, my active life style has turned into a sedentary lifestyle and I was feeling terrible. My next thing and the toughest thing to change is to get more sleep!

[@GrowGrayMatter]

It is truly the hardest thing to do. We always feel like there is another reason to stay up and do more. Good luck!

[@brittaniclark5208]

Before this last month I would say that I definitely could've used some exercise. But this last month has been the most stressful weeks of my life.. so far. So, when you say that stress causes us to not care about learning new information and it's main focus is not dying.. that's just so relevant. I found myself sleeping my entire days away, I didn't even have the motivation to go to school.. I just slept my days away and an hour before work I would get up and shower.. I'm slowly but surely trying to find myself again and while finding myself I am also bettering myself too. If it wasn't for these videos I wouldn't have info on how to get myself out of this funk or even know that it's normal to be stressed and to sleep my days away.. or even know this information.. I had no idea exercise can help your brain perform better.. My main focus is to make school #1 priority and after that, hopefully I can make the time to exercise to increase healthy brain activity.. As for the third area; Sleep hasn't quite been the problem lately. These videos truly have given me a new perspective about school and life and what I want for myself and how to achieve it. Thank you for taking the time to make these Dr. O.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

I truly hope that things improve. Do not hesitate to let me know if there is anything you need from me Brittani :)

[@madisonlee2048]

I found this video interesting! I didn't know exercise help you memory, now just to find the time to work that into a busy school and study schedule! EC video 4/5

[@GrowGrayMatter]

That is a major problem. The only way to add good things to your life is to remove something else

[@tanishanelson828]

I think that stress is something that I deal with a lot every day. If I were to be less stressed, I would more likely be able to focus on school more. I can make small changes by trying to keep my study area clean and tidy. I can try to go to sleep at the same time every night as well. I could also try to exercise for at least an hour a day. If I make these small changes, it could help me to become a better student.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

It definitely sounds like you take my message to heart. I know that this info can help so many people that are struggling

[@lizmacharia-gould3338]

I believe sleep is one of the most important needs in a students life. With my busy schedule it's sometimes hard to regularly get the minimum recommended time to sleep. I know that lack of adequate sleep, which happens often, greatly affects my learning abilities because I easily get tired and become sluggish. That is the opposite of what a student should be. I think I can boost my sleep pattern by having a cut off time at night, where I just drop whatever is unfinished at the time. In addition, waking up early to complete unfinished assignments with a clear mind, as opposed to burning the midnight oil will certainly be of greater benefit in the long run. I am also aware that I need to make changes in my exercise routine which is non existent at the moment. I hope to start with a twenty to thirty minutes walk toward my goal of exercising regularly.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Well said! I am so much less productive when I am tired that staying up late just doesn't make as much sense as it may seem. I feel like it takes me an hour to get 15-20 minutes of work done

[@Falkenhagen100]

I think that we have to balance the three of them, since one affects the other one. I can tell by experience that if I'm stressed, I am not going to be able to rest well. And vice versa. It is important to try not to accumulate everything to prevent stress and also have a good balance in your rest and physical activity. It is really important to cleanse your body and mind once in a while, Exercise and Sleep help a LOT with these.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Well said! Personally the key one for me is sleep. They all matter, but I do better with the other 2 if I am rested

[@hilary5468]

Sleep is desperately needed ha ha! In all seriousness though, it is something I have been struggling with most of the semester. Trying to balance working and giving my daughter enough time and attention with school has proven tough for me and my partner who is also in school full time. I am trying to ask for more help from the grandparents (who obviously love hanging out with her!) on my weekends off to have more focused time for school. I am also going to start utilizing our local library for a more quiet area and less distractions for studying.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

It is so much harder when you are a parent. I feel your pain. I only choose sleep over my kids when I know that I can't be as good of a dad if I don't get some Z's. If I feel myself getting snippy or easily frustrated I know that the best thing for my kids is for me to crash hard and get back to being myself

[@malorihill1799]

Prioritizing is so hard for me! I try to stay focused but have a million other things i'm thinking about at the same time and put other things in front of what I should be doing. I get distracted easily especially when I am trying to study with my kids around. And sleep doesn't happen a whole lot with me and my daily life of my kids, work, and school. I will definitely work on prioritizing better and TRYING to get more sleep.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

It is very hard when all the main things in your life are as important as family, work, and school. It is easier to fix these issues if the things that are stealing your time are things like social media, partying, and video games :). I hope the ideas in this talk will be a HUGE help for you :)

[@abigailparker2857]

The biggest enemies for me would have to be procrastination and lack of sleep. Both of these things lead to stress and make schoolwork so much harder than it has to be. I have a very bad habit of putting things off until the last minute, and this obviously does more harm than good. My final product is going to seem more rushed and I obviously won't comprehend what I'm learning as well. If I were to correctly use all of the factors Dr. O mentioned, I'm sure I would have a much easier time in college and in life in general. Abigail Parker - Nutrition

[@GrowGrayMatter]

I hope it helps, but I know how hard it is to make all these changes. One thing at a time :)

[@salamawitpeace]

Procrastination and distraction are my worst two enemies. Being as young as I am, I don't necessarily do what I have to do till I really need to do it. This causes me to work fast but not smarter.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

I work better with a deadline as well. Are there any ways that you can give yourself earlier deadlines? :)

[@originaltesfay453]

I would say if I Exercising daily it would help me become a better student because working out help improve long/short term memory which would be helpful for me because I am not good when it comes to remembering what I just learn in class. To make a change in sleep, I would need to have a schedule when to sleep and get at least 8 hrs of sleep each day. And with stress, I would need to learn how to deal with my stress. And with exercise, I would just need to workout at least 3 times a week so my brain can develop better.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Every little bit helps for sure :)

[@xolyanetzigonzalez5283]

I never really thought that lack of sleep would be that bad for our mind especially when we stay up late to try to study for a test for the next day thinking that we would remember everything we studied for tomorrow. I have been trying to prioritzes school and work trying to find a way to help me stay on track of everything without loosing sleep without getting stressed out.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

We pride ourselves on our ability to fight off sleep, but biology wins every time

[@samjanagajmer9198]

I think lack of exercise is what's keeping me from where I want to be in life. I have a lot of free time during the day but I still tend to procrastinate. I do get enough sleep, which is good, but I think I need to start exercising and manage my time well if I want to achieve my dream of making my life better. I've thought about it a lot but I just can't seem to get myself to do it. I'm hoping my lifestyle will be different next year because I'm trying to do one right thing which will eventually lead to making more things right. Even going out for a walk would be a good starting point.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Exercise is good for the body, but it is great for the mind :)

[@chriswalker7524]

Yes, there is some distraction, now that I have my grandson a lot more, it's like starting over. I think I get enough sleep sometimes, but I do go to bed with life in general and school on my mind thinking what I could be doing better, how can I improve, so sometimes I don't get a very restful sleep. Had no idea that your brain cleans itself of toxins and it cleans out the garbage in your head. And exercise, I like to exercise, but I had no idea that exercise could build new brain cells, how intriguing. I could probably use a more stimulating environment when I do exercise. Now that I look at it from a different point of view from this video. I do have to say that I stress a little bit because I am going back to back to school with the age that I am. failure I don't want to look at as an option, well nobody likes failure, so that's not in my vocabulary, well I try not to let it in there.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Just another reason to exercise. I have really ramped up my exercises, and I am noticing improvements in my brain and mood long before I am seeing strength changes in the gym :)

[@maryliu3852]

Lack of exercises is a big problem for me. Once I do exercise, I can experience the stress reduction, joy and relaxation of my whole body. Unfortunately, that does not happen often. Most of the time I feel like I do not either have that time or have the energy to exercise. I am not sure if I can find more time to exercise in next a few years yet. I will try my best.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Even 5 minutes of exercise can make a difference. Every little bit helps :)

[@sontreaseturner3378]

Sleep is the cousin of death I slept a little too much this semester as I age ill rather sleep than do any other thing...well I like shopping more Sontrease loves to Shop, Sleep, and Snack my motto

[@GrowGrayMatter]

+Sontrease Turner lol :)

[@salamawitpeace]

One thing I struggle with is focusing, I could be in class trying to hard to listen or focus but my brain just goes on and on. This could be from things that stress me, how can I get myself or my brain to shut off?

[@GrowGrayMatter]

Focus is a skill. Just keep trying, and over time it will get easier and easier. I still get distracted, but it happens less often and I catch it sooner

[@TheSukimoto]

I feel like stress and lack of sleep play a big role in being able to concentrate at school. I could cut out the people and things that cause me stress and try to get in a nap or go to sleep sooner so I no longer have this problem. Another thing is I NEVER exercise, something that really needs to change. Perhaps exercising will help me feel more energized and have better health overall so I can push on.

[@GrowGrayMatter]

That’s the hard part about exercise. It will give you energy, but you have to get motivated to do it when you still don’t have any :)