At our wonderful school, John P. Stevens, there are generally two types of students. The first is the night owl, or the student who “locks in” at 11 PM. The other is the early bird, or the one who sacrifices their early morning to study. As a curious writer and a student at JP Stevens, I am interested in a question that plagues every student: which approach is better? Is it more effective to study late at night, trying your hardest to not fall asleep, or to study early in the morning, when it is almost impossible to get out of your comfy bed? Unfortunately, this question- much like every controversial question in this world- is answered with a “it depends”. But it’s true! There are many advantages to studying in the morning, and many benefits of studying at night as well. 

Let’s start with Enzo. Enzo studies in the morning, leading to him waking up with a clean slate. He doesn’t remember the troubles or the concerns of the day before, and his brain is rested and refreshed. Since he studies in the morning, he is also going to be more focused and engaged, as he is not fatigued from the day’s stress. Additionally, since Enzo has a mild social media addiction, he is less likely to get distracted by social media and outside noise as almost everyone is sleeping! Morning study sessions are great for long-term memory formation, such as learning new concepts, as well as difficult tasks. After all, according to ___________, it is proven that in terms of memory, there is a “significantly worse performance on associate memory in evening hours compared to morning hours.” Since Enzo has a lot of tasks, such as having to study math, write essays for English, learn new concepts for history, and solve a difficult problem for physics, the morning is the best time to study for him.  

However, night studying also has its benefits. Let’s look at Ashley. Since Ashley doesn’t have to learn new concepts and is instead focusing on information she has already learned, night time is perfect for her. This is because her brain has already warmed up from the day. It is great for certain types of memorization as well. Repetition memorization, such as vocabulary and simple formulas, is most effective at night. In fact, “recent studies have shown that sleep after learning facilitates the consolidation of novel procedural and declarative memories in comparison to equal periods of wakefulness.” This shows how sleeping after studying leads to memorizing the information faster. Additionally, night studying is great for more passive or relaxing work, such as reading, as well. Since Ashley has to do tasks like reviewing notes for economics, studying vocabulary for psychology, reading a book for English, and editing a video for history, the night is the way to go. 

So what can we take away from this? Biologically, your memory is strongest after a good night’s sleep. You also think critically much more often when your brain is clear, which is in the morning. However, for many, it is easier to flex your creative muscles at night. 

Ultimately, we are all human, which means that we are all inherently different. We all have different lifestyles, different preferences, and different circadian rhythms. The way to find out which method is best for you is to test out both studying in the morning and at night. The guide above is just a suggestion, and it most likely differs slightly from person to person. The key to this is figuring out how your brain works. Study smarter, not harder!