Morning study vs Night study: benefits for optimal performance

Are you an early bird or a night owl when it comes to studying? Although you might think science is definite about which way is best, well think again. There isn’t a solid answer and how could there be since it’s far from a simple choice?

Photo by Lilian Dibbern on Unsplash
Photo by Gery Wibowo on Unsplash

According to research, our circadian rhythms together with our lifestyle choices pretty much determine the time of the day when we prefer to study. Let me put a pause here because some of you may have unknown words.

What are circadian rhythms? Put it simply, they are cycles that instruct our organism when it is time to wake up, eat, or go to bed. As you can understand, it is greatly influenced by the presence or absence of light.

After the short biology break, we can conclude that there is no best time to study. This post is here to point out the benefits of both ways of studying and help you make the most out of your studying it regardless of the time of the day.

Early Birds vs. Night Owls

 

Early Birds

You are relaxed when studying in the morning. 

After a good night’s sleep, you feel refreshed. You are highly motivated and ready to begin your day eagerly. This creates the best environment for your mind to absorb information efficiently.

Studying in the morning offers natural sources of lighting. 

During the day, you don’t need the extra lighting. Apart from the fact that your eyes thank you for that, your eyesight is in the best possible condition.

In the morning your circadian rhythms are your allies. 

What this means is that you are working under natural sunlight and this is the cue for you to stay awake and alert. I believe you will agree with me that alertness in one major key to studying.

Morning studying improves your memory capacity. 

It’s true! In the morning, your mind has the ability to store more information allowing you to learn faster. That’s why you should prioritize a big exam over your next day’s assignments and homework. Remember my post on exams? Go check my post on exam preparation.

Morning studying promotes group studying. 

However odd it may sound, have you ever wondered when it’s more likely to find other people to study together? During the day, obviously. If you are the type of person that functions better in a group, then I suggest you start studying in the morning.

 

Night Owls

Night studying offers plenty of peace and quiet. 

It’s something that all people take into consideration when it comes to studying or working. There are far fewer distractions and you have the opportunity to focus on your studying and be more effective.

Night studying makes you more creative. 

It actually does. There are a few studies on this which have shown that our minds work differently at night and we have alternate ways of thinking. It seems that night hours make your creativity skyrocket and you have a different approach to things.

Sleeping after a heavy night’s studying helps preserve new information. 

Say you finish studying at 2 am. If you go to bed straightaway (I can’t think of anything else you would do in the early hours), your brain activates mechanisms that sort out all the information you learnt. All learnt material is stored in the right place and ready to be used. Mission accomplished!

Night is the best time for your memory to recall information.

Following the previous point, all information that has already been stored in your mind can be easily accessed during the night. This is the optimal time for the brain to drag up anything you want and bring it to the surface. My advice here is to take advantage of it and plan the final revision of any upcoming exam at night.

Studying places are ideal at night. 

If you want to hit the library (provided that you have a library close by that stays open until midnight), the perfect time is late in the evening. By then, most libraries seem deserted. This will give you space, resources and maximum focus all at once. Boom, you got the perfect combination.

In a nutshell, some people prefer studying in the morning and others choose studying at night. Neither style is superior. There are advantages to both and it all depends on your preference.

Which type are you? Comment down below. Share and like this post with your friends.