Think Twice Before Your Next All-Nighter!
We’ve
all been there; It’s a Sunday
night and your term paper is due Monday morning. For most college students, the solution to procrastination
is pulling and all-nighter. But is
this really worth the health risks is poses? When it comes to sleep deprivation, college students are by far the most guilty, having twice as
many sleep problems as the normal population. Sleep deprivation is not only detrimental to your physical
health, but your mental
well-being as well. Imagine
the day after you pulled an all-nighter.
Most of us are irritable, unmotivated, and just plain old unhappy. When you lose sleep on occasion, you
impair your though process, put your grades at risk, and contribute to weight
gain. Make a habit of these
all-nighters and you could be at risk for depression or suicide.
By
now it has been well stated that losing sleep is not going to lead anywhere
good. But what exactly is so
dangerous about pulling one all-nighter as a college student? According to professors at BU’s
Educational Resource Center, pulling an all-nighter is as ill advised as shooting
yourself in the foot. Now that’s
really something to think about. Another tidbit
for college students to ponder is that after only a few hours of sleep, just
one beer can have the same effect as an entire 6-pack. And to really scare you out of
depriving yourself of sleep, two thirds of car accidents happen to people
around the age of 20 due to sleep deprivation. So hopefully it can now be agreed that pulling an
all-nighter is not worth the risk of falling asleep at the wheel or any other
associated risks.
The
only way for college students to avoid the risks associated with sleep
deprivation is to value your sleep.
Make sure you are getting those 8 hours of sleep that we all need, in
order to mentally and physically function at our healthiest. The easiest way to ensure a regular
sleep pattern and avoid all-nighters is to expose yourself to light in the
morning, avoid it at night before sleeping, and lets be honest…stop
procrastinating!
Maddie Thueson
I think that sleep is so important to our health, and you did a really good job about explaining that in this post. I know that from personal experience, all-nighters only make me more stressed. It can be hard to feel motivated after being awake for so long and I have scored lower on exams than if I had gotten a proper night's rest. I try and sleep about 8 hours a night and I feel so much more energized!
ReplyDeleteI cannot agree more or emphasize enough how sleep is so important to our health, physically and mentally. I know that I have pulled a few late nights of up until four in the morning studying and then going to class at 8:30 that same morning. The whole day is ruined. Sleep deprived leaves everyone out of it and not performing to their best. Also, not enough sleep results in running the chance of getting sick. If I am not up on my sleep, I can almost guarantee that I will come down with a sickness within the month. Eight hours a night, make it happen!
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of pulling all-nighters and I agree it does affect by mental wellbeing. I try to avoid drinking caffeine before going to bed, but I feel it is necessary to have when pulling an all-nighter. I guess the reason why I don’t change my ways is because I am able to fall asleep quickly and easily. For example, after my class ended at 1:00 pm, I would make it back to my dorm at 1:05 pm sleep for 15 minutes, and head back to another class before 1:30 pm. I did this on a regular bias to make up for lost of sleep. I’m glad I clicked on this article; the link was very informative.
ReplyDelete