Finals week, the last week of the semester. Full of all-nighters, tears shed on note sheets, therapy sessions with your pals Ben and Jerry's (my personal is Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Core), and group suffering. However, what is the goal of all this? We learn a plethora of specific information over the course of a semester in anywhere from four to six classes (music majors have may have more), and then have to recall it all in the span of a week. What good does this do anyone? What good does any of this do for anyone?
The average student should get over eight hours of sleep, according to the Stanford University Center of Excellence for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Disorders. That's not laying down at midnight and getting out of bed at eight, that is eight hours of shut-eye, off in dreamland. However, according to this report on US News, less than half of college students are getting there. More than half, 55% of students, get less than seven hours of sleep, and the average college student only gets between six to seven hours of sleep, falling well short of the recommended 8+ hours, according to the University of Georgia. This means, on average, a student lacks one to two hours of sleep a night. Multiply that out by a semester; that's over 100 hours of sleep that we, as college students, are lacking. Take the population of Eastern University (my school) as an example.That means 1,430 students are not getting enough sleep, more than two full year groups are not getting enough sleep.
All-nighters are seen as a source of pride, people cramming for tests, writing papers until the sun rises, or having deep conversations about why "Death Note" is the best anime ever. Whatever the reason, though, the consequences are all the same. According to The Cleveland Clinic, short-term problems include lack of alertness, stress on your relationships, your quality of life suffers, and your memory gets impaired. I'll repeat that last one: YOUR MEMORY GETS IMPAIRED. In the long run, you can open yourself up to a whole can of worms, like heart disease, stroke, and depression.
As college students, we have enough to worry about. We go through years of schooling in an attempt to secure our place in society. For me, sleep was a premium that I couldn't afford last year. 8:30 classes, staying up till the crack of dawn playing video games and running on coffee until my hands were shaking was how I stayed awake for all my classes. But, as it turns out, sleep is good. Sleeping a full 8 hours this semester has improved my mood, the quality of work I'm turning in is better, and I'm able to enjoy the time I'm awake more.
So, staying up all night might actually be hindering yourself from getting that A on your finals and writing that quality paper. As our friend from Stanford states, "Drowsiness is a red alert." If you're on your third cup of coffee, second monster and about to get your third, and still tired, stop for a minute and think. We all have a lot to do, but none of it can be done from a hospital bed, being treated for cardiac arrest. So if you're trying to push through, and just can't go anymore, there is no shame at calling it a night at midnight, getting a good night's sleep, and starting it again in the morning.
