One day last week, I pulled an all-nighter in order to write a paper. I don't normally wait until the last minute to complete assignments but I didn't know about this paper until the day before it was due. It wasn't a hard paper but it did require research. I got up at 5 o'clock in the morning and then, I had to be up at 5 o'clock the next day. I had work and class until 9 o'clock that night. It's safe to say I was exhausted by the time I got home. I swore I would never do that again and here's why:
1. Your brain and body need a break.
When you don't sleep, your brain and body go into overdrive trying to keep you awake and moving. Your brain stops functioning properly and causes you to have to work harder to concentrate on the task at hand, almost to the point where you shouldn't be doing anything at all. There are also a lot of health problems associated with a lack of sleep. The less you sleep, the more at risk you are for heart-related issues and mental health issues. In order to relax your brain and your body, you need to sleep.
2. That paper you're working on will not be your best work.
I know for a fact that the paper I turned in was nowhere close to my best effort but there was nothing I could do about it. After being up for 24 hours, I stopped caring what it looked like; I just wanted to be done with it. I'm proud to say that I did get it turned in on time.
In order to properly write a paper or study for a test, you have to sleep so your brain can function properly. If you stay up cramming for a test, you do not retain any of the information. Sleep allows you to remember more. When you're writing a paper, sleep will help you analyze the information you're reading. After being up for a while, you don't even know what you're writing about anymore. One minute you're writing about the Revolutionary War and the next minute, you accidentally slip in something about the Easter Bunny.
3. Your emotions are high-wired.
I can admit that when I don't get enough sleep, I cry at the slightest disappointment or mistake that happens throughout my day. This goes back to your mental health. Sleep deprivation leads to moodiness. You don't want to be around people and in turn, people don't want to be around you. You snap at people because you ultimately feel like crap and aren't able to hold back your frustrations. Sleep allows you to feel refreshed and overall, happier.
4. Your processing abilities severely diminish.
Driving when you're overly tired is similar to driving when you're drunk. It's not a good idea. Your reactions are slower than normal and you're more likely to miss small details that you would otherwise notice. Without sleep, processing information just doesn't happen the way it should. You'll have to get your friends to repeat what they said several times before you start to understand and then they might have to repeat it a few more times before you fully know what they said. You'll find yourself saying, "what?" more often than anything else.
5. You want to die.
Overall, not sleeping at night is not a good idea. You don't want to function because your body can't actually function properly. But you have to because you have work to get done before you're able to sleep. Every time you do anything, you feel like you're going to pass out. You ultimately feel like death. In order to prevent this feeling, you have to sleep.
