Why You Sleep Whenever You Pick Up Your Book & How To Stay Awake!

Why You Sleep Whenever You Pick Up Your Book & How To Stay Awake!

It is a struggle for some, if not most, students to stay awake during their study time. There are several reasons behind this.  Shockingly, personal habits and unnecessary distractions are found to be the main reasons behind study fatigue. You’ll be surprised to know that some of your unconscious daily practices are the reason for your study fatigue.  Some personal habits that cause study fatigue includes:

1. Procrastination
2. Distractions
3. Bad timing
4. Reading position
5. Improper dieting, etc.

Below are some tips that’ll help you stay awake and study longer.

1. Be friends with your book

Students often make the mistake of waiting till exam is close before reading their books, hoping to eat up the whole textbook a night before exam. You’ll always see such students soaking their legs in a bow of water to stay awake. This method is suicidal and has always backfired. The fact is,

In order to be friends with your books, you have to be determined and be principled. Set a daily target and reward yourself when you meet up with it. Don’t be too hard on yourself, you can start with a target of few minutes daily reading, then grow from there. It’s not bad to read interesting books outside your scope of study; this will help grow your reading capacity.

2. Nothing else should matter whenever you want to read

It’s difficult to stay awake when you’re reading without paying total attention. Once your focus is lost, sleep is inevitable. Anytime you pick up your book, nothing else should matter to you. The only thing you should think of is your book. Whether or not the imagination is positive, just have the mindset that the right time for meditation is NOT when you’re reading. One of the ways to remain focused during studies is to imagine what you’re studying in real life situations. This helps me a lot and has always been my useful tool in remembering what I’ve read.

NOTE: You can also read our article on how to deal with academic distractions for more insight.

3. Always rest well before reading

You cannot force knowledge into a weak body. After a long day, your body craves for rest by default. If you try to read in such situation, you’ll end up sleeping on your book. It is necessary you take a quick nap after a long day before jumping into your books. This will get your brain relaxed and ready to absorb any information you feed it.

4. Reading position matters

While some people can lie down and read for a very long period, others can’t. It is, therefore, important to discover the reading position that works for you and stick to it. Reading on the bed can be very comfortable, but this is like a sleeping pill to some persons. If you know you can’t read for long while lying down, do not tempt yourself, get a reading table and read comfortably.

5. Engage yourself by jotting down while reading

One of the methods that scare away sleep during studies is by jotting down some points. This will help you to concentrate and keep your brain active. Researches have it that students sleep less when solving mathematical problems. This could be due to the fact that they tend to engage themselves more in writing when studying mathematics. If you always feel sleepy whenever you take up your book, even when you just finished taking a nap, try to keep your brain busy by jotting down interesting facts from your book.

6. Discover the time that works for you

Many students make the mistake of thinking that the best and only suitable time to read is at night. This has led a lot of students to wasting their spare time during the day and at night; they struggle with sleep and find it hard to focus. It is important to discover the suitable reading time that works for you. Sleeping early and waking up at the middle of the night is a good option but doesn’t work for everyone. Stick to what works for you. if you know you can’t be effective once you sleep, be like me and read before sleeping. Make out time to read during the day if you find it difficult to read at night. Whichever method you wish to adopt, make sure you’re faithful to it.

7. Group reading can help you stay awake

Another method to stay awake during studies is by surrounding yourself with friends that can help you academically. Seeing your friends awake can help you stay up longer than usual. More so, when you’re stuck, your friends can always help you pass the bridge through group discussion, giving you more self-confidence and keeping your brain active. However, it is also necessary to pick your reading crew carefully; some friends can be a distraction to you.

8. Eat appropriately

The importance of good nutrition cannot be overemphasized. Lack of it can restrict intellectual development. Eating good food is one of the ways to maintain a healthy mental state. Shockingly, your choice of food can affect your ability to stay awake while reading. Fruits like watermelon and banana can induce sleep in you while some fruits like apple can make you stay awake. More so, heavy foods like beans can weaken your nerves and drag you to bed. Always eat light if you want to stay wake to read. Meanwhile, studies recommend you keep your mouth busy while reading. This will keep your nerves busy and keep you awake.

9. Set a time target

A Journey of no certain destination always seems far. When you’re certain of your destination, getting there becomes an easier task. Same applies to reading. Setting a time target for yourself gives you something to look forward to. There is this feeling of “walking towards freedom” when you have a set target. That “it’ll soon be over” feeling encourages you to stay awake and also gives you the urge to achieve a maximum result before your time is up. Howbeit, it is important not to misuse this method. Learn to discover your natural capacity before setting a limit for yourself. Gradually stretch your limit subsequently to avoid negative result. Trying to set an unrealistic target for yourself will only discourage your effort. Slow and steady, they say, wins the race.

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out other related articles on Schoolmetro. Don’t forget to express yourself on the comment session.

Thank You For Reading!