Do bigger payments early actually save that much interest?

I recently looked into how interest works on my student loans and now I’m kind of stuck on this one thought. People always say paying more early makes a big difference, but I’m trying to understand how big that difference really is.

I tried comparing a few rough scenarios in my head like paying a larger chunk now vs spreading that same amount over time and it made me rethink my whole repayment strategy a bit.

The idea of hitting the principal early sounds smart, but at the same time it means less cash on hand right now, which feels uncomfortable.

I feel like I’m missing something in how this actually plays out long term.

For anyone who’s done this, did front-loading your payments actually reduce your total interest in a noticeable way?