As a college student, the most overlooked benefit in life is sleep. I’m a strong believer in “I can sleep when I’m dead,” or “I don’t want to sleep my life away.” Not once did I say that one needs to sleep constantly, but like most areas in life, there is a happy medium that many need to find.

It took me a very long time to realize that the proper amount of sleep can help you thrive in life. I know this is the pot calling the kettle black, because I’m still not the perfect example, but I’m preaching to myself as well.

This lesson, I learned the hard way. I have always loved people and have always had a bad case of FOMO. This was revealed when I first joined a sorority and couldn’t say no to any commitments. My days consisted of hanging out with anyone who asked and my nights consisted of a constant struggle to catch up in school. Being young and excited to be in a new stage of life, blurred my perspective of what the lack of sleep was doing to me.

It wasn’t until about a semester passed that I started to get cranky and lose my joy for life. I distinctly remember seeing a friend walking to class and not having enough energy to say hi back. I started losing friendships and my grades started to slip.

My exhausted mind and body couldn’t understand why it was working so hard to only achieve subpar results in the social aspect, along with the academic aspect. Then one day, it hit me. You idiot. How did you think you could maintain this never-ending cycle and still be productive?

In an article I read from Stanford University, William Dement M.D., Ph.D states that “The average sleep requirement for college students is well over eight hours, and the majority of students would fall within the range of this value plus or minus one hour. If this amount is not obtained, a sleep debt is credited.

All lost sleep accumulates progressively as a larger and larger sleep indebtedness.” This is what many college students like me are missing. One cannot keep up the constant habit of not sleeping because you get too much “sleep debt.” It is physically impossible for the body and mind.

I’m sure many are thinking this is common sense. Most would think it is. You would be surprised, though, college students, as well as others, are so obsessed with getting the most out of every moment that they can lose sight of taking care of themselves.

Sleep is not just so you’ll feel better during the day, it is for your overall health. Though I am getting older, I’m still learning. Honestly, I am writing this article because I’m mad at myself for only getting 4 hours of sleep last night, so please people LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES.

No paper, assignment, social event, or person is worth falling into a pattern of neglecting your sleep. Nothing is worth neglecting yourself.