Recently, I have been studying how to learn better. From many resources, I’ve found that to achieve high learning efficiency, the first step is to ensure you get good sleep. I learned some basic knowledge about sleep, including different stages like NREM and REM. To achieve good sleep, my first practice is to keep my biological clock stable. I also try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every day. If I get distracted and am unable to sleep well the night before, I take a nap. Research suggests that a nap of no more than 45 minutes is good for boosting energy and supplementing the previous night’s sleep.
In addition to getting enough sleep, sleep quality is also important. I have learned to avoid screens for 30 minutes before going to bed. I set the room temperature to 18°C and use a weighted blanket. Sometimes I take a bath to relax my body. I also take Magnesium L-Threonate (200-400mg) before sleep for its potential benefits in promoting sleep and cognitive function. If I went to the gym that day, I take Magnesium Glycinate instead, as it helps with muscle relaxation. Once you have good sleep, it is easier to stay focused when you study.
Sleep is also helpful for memory, so you will be better at memorizing as well. Another trick is to create quizzes for yourself. Research shows that the sooner you take a quiz and receive corrections after learning, the better the results. Fortunately, nowadays it is very easy to make quizzes using AI. The ideal format is not multiple-choice questions, as the goal is to help you retrieve knowledge as much as possible. The answers to these quizzes can be short and straightforward.
Appendix
Here is the prompt I used for quiz generation:
Given the context, please generate the quiz for better learning. That questions should be not multiple choice questions, the answer should be open-minded but short. Please generate the questions list and then the answer list.