The All Nighter That Failed Chidi

<h4><strong>Chidi had a big exam at 8 a.m.</strong></h4><p><strong><br/></strong></p><h4><strong>At 9 p.m, he opened his notes.</strong></h4><p><strong><br/></strong></p><h4><strong> At 2 a.m, he was still</strong> <strong>reading</strong>, <strong>phone in one hand, tea in</strong> <strong>the other.</strong></h4><p><strong><br/></strong></p><h4><strong>"Sleep is for the weak," he told himself. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong>"I'll sleep after the exam."</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>At 8 a.m, he sat in the hall. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong>The first question looked familiar. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong>He knew he had read it. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong>But the answer would not come.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>"I studied all night," he whispered. "Where did it go?"</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>His roommate Bayo, who had slept 7 hours, finished the paper early. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>That evening, Chidi asked him how the exam was. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>"Simple," said Bayo. "Your brain doesn't store what you read while you're awake. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong>It saves it while you sleep."</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>What really happens</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>While you study, your brain takes in information, like pictures dropped into a messy inbox.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>During deep sleep, the brain sorts that inbox.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong> It moves important facts into long-term memory and clears the clutter.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>Without sleep, the sorting never happens.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong> The facts are still sitting in the inbox, hard to find.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>The phone problem</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>Chidi's phone made things worse. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong>Screens give off blue light, which tells your brain it's still daytime. </strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong>Your body then delays melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>What Chidi did next time</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong><strong>He studied until 11 p.m., put the phone away, and slept.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><strong> On exam morning, the answers came easily.</strong></h4><h4><strong><br/></strong></h4><h4><br/></h4>

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