Psychological research can help us become better students by literally improving grades, whilst also becoming more content with academic progress. Research into gamma brain wave activity in particular, and ways of increasing these brain waves, can be used to improve academic performance. Gamma brain waves have the fastest frequency yet smallest amplitude in comparison to other brain waves, leading them to be associated with the highest levels of concentration and cognitive functioning; as well as feelings of happiness; [5] whereas low gamma brain wave activity has been linked to poorer memory and mental processing. From this we can infer that increasing gamma brain wave activity is beneficial to cognitive performance, which can be done through the practice of meditation. Gamma waves are also found within the Rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep, interacting with Theta waves to integrate information into meaningful memories, thoughts, and images; indicating that sleep is an important factor in gamma wave activity and subsequently being a better student. Furthermore, implementing a routine using our Ultradian Rhythms and Basic Rest Activity Cycles in conjunction with sleep can prevent fatigue, and increase alertness when studying. Knowing the benefits gamma wave activity has on cognitive functioning, we can conclude that increasing activity through meditation, sleep, and routine, will have a positive effect on academic performance.
Sleep is an important biological activity that we need to do in order for our bodies to repair itself, for our brains to process all received information from the previous day, to produce hormones necessary to regulate our growth. It is also critical after learning for human memory. When sleep is interrupted, in quality or quantity, when waking up our bodies are not primed to support us through the day. Students and teenagers, on average, need 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night. When interrupted, their bodies cannot properly restore energy needed for the brain and body, grow and repair body tissues, and produce hormones needed to aid them throughout the day in order to perform successfully – all of which happens within sleep stages 3 and 4, and REM. [1] A study using 186 students from Canada investigated the changes in sleep quantity and quality as the students progressed through their education. The results of this study showed that higher academic stress lead to less sleep, increased sleep disturbances and students waking up later in the day with these rise times becoming later each year. In relation to academic performance, GPA scores of the students were lower when bed times were later. From these results, we can infer that a lack of sleep was the main factor for lower cognitive performance, due to lower gamma brain wave activity as a result of disturbances in the sleep cycle.
When sleep deprivation occurs, the full sleep cycle is not taking place; the body cannot repair itself, and the aforementioned gamma and theta brain waves do not interact to integrate received information. The basic side effects from as little as one night of sleep deprivation include irritability and increased stress. Alongside this, a deficit in hippocampal activity is also found, a structure in the brain heavily associated in retaining information to form new memories. [2] A study into sleep deprivation looked specifically into the effects it has on adolescents. The data was collected through pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaires with the aim to find preventable risk factors that cause sleep deprivation during schooldays. The results displayed that students were obtaining an average of less than 8 hours of sleep a night, with 78.5% showing sleep deprivation. Within the sociodemographic, academic, and other factors investigated, the main reason for insufficient sleep was academic workload. The risks of sleep deprivation hugely outweigh the benefits, allowing the conclusion that time management and routines parallel to ensuring an adequate amount of sleep within the student lifestyle would help to reduce instances of sleep deprivation and in turn, help students improve their grades and academic performance by increasing gamma brain waves.
Gamma brain waves are associated with the brains optimal frequency [4], manifesting at 24Hz and even higher, allowing rapid memory recall as well as heightened perception as these waves bind all parts of the brain together which would improve academic performance, particularly in an exam setting. Alongside this, gamma waves could improve a student’s outlook on their progress as well as their mood; by increasing gamma brain wave activity memory recall could be of higher quality as well as more confidence and content being experienced in relation to academic performance. A method that increases gamma brain wave activity is meditation. This method can be self-administered, making it economically valuable in the long term, and is beneficial for improving concentration, self-awareness, happiness, stress, the ability to abolish negative thoughts, and gamma brain wave activity. In any instance, a trained brain is always structurally different from an untrained one, as proved in a study conducted in 2002 comparing the brain wave activity of 8 Buddhist monks and 10 student volunteers. [3] The Buddhist monks had between 10,000 and 50,000 hours of meditation training over a span of 15 to 40 years, whereas the student volunteers had had no training until they took part in the experiment. Using electroencephalograph testing and scanning, the results revealed that the activity in the monks’ brains were significantly different than the brains of the volunteers; well-coordinated and organised, and incredibly fast and powerful, gamma brain waves were observed through the EEG. However, the student volunteers after the short training they had received still presented an increase in gamma wave activity. In association with the idea of ‘brain training’, the increase in gamma brain wave activity the novice meditators produced supports the proposal that practicing meditation regularly would positively modify our memory and the way our brains process and retain information.
A routine including adequate sleep and meditation can be implemented our ultradian rhythm. Ultradian
rhythms are the shortest of all bodily rhythms, examples of this include the sleep cycle lasting 90 minutes,
[6] concentration lasting 90 to 120 minutes, and basic rest activity cycles lasting around 90 minutes also.
Within the first 60 minutes of a ‘BRAC’ brainwave activity is thriving leading feeling alert and focused, after
this these brainwaves begin to slow leading to fatigue and ‘daydreaming’ as the brain transitions from a
state of beta frequency to alpha frequency. [7]A study conducted by K. Anders Ericsson et al compared a
group of 10 ‘elite’ violinists and 10 ‘average’ violinists, using a matched pairs design the participants
completed descriptions of ‘everyday activities’ and ‘musical activities’. Following this, participants were
asked to rate the relevance of everyday activities to improved musical ability, and were then asked to keep
a diary of all activities they engaged in for 7 days. [8]Upon decoding the diaries, it was revealed that both
groups spent on average 50 hours per week practicing the violin. The only difference found was the elite
players spending more hours on deliberate practice, the repetitive practice of a cognitive or motor skill,
than the average players. These elite players split their practice into 2 separate blocks, as opposed to the
average players who spread their practice throughout the day, which is essentially 2 BRAC’s, allowing the
players to practice at their cognitive peak and making better musicians. When applying this to academics,
we can argue that studying in deliberate blocks of 90 minutes will increase concentration and academic
performance as the brain is not becoming exhausted, gamma brain waves activity being more beneficial as
we feel more focused and alert. In addition to this, the elite players slept on average 1 hour more per night
than the average players, who were often sleeping less and experiencing more stress as a result of their
haphazard schedule. This reinforces the benefits of sleep on cognitive functioning. By splitting studying
into deliberate blocks, this leaves more time for relaxation whilst still engaging in high concentration work
and building a routine into your day; whilst proving that ‘cramming’ when studying, or studying without a
routine is not at all beneficial.