Summer vacation is finally here, and it's time to start thinking about beach days, trips to the amusement park and other warm-weather activities. It's tempting to stay up all night and sleep all day, which is fine when you're on vacation but it can screw up your sleep schedule once the school year starts again. Here's why you should focus on getting good sleep even during summer vacation?

The Importance of Sleep

You never realize how important sleep is until you go for a while without it. Roughly one-third of adults in the United States don't get enough sleep, according to the CDC, and that's dangerous. Not getting enough sleep can hurt your health, make driving dangerous and can turn you into an overall cranky person that no one wants on their summer vacation.

Sleep might seem like something you can put off in favor of activities that might sound more fun but keep your health in mind — make sure you're getting your eight hours every night.

Take the Time to Catch up

As long as you're not taking summer classes, your summer vacation is a great time to catch up on all the sleep you missed during the academic year. You don't have any early morning classes or late-night study sessions to worry about before finals — why not take advantage of it?

Sleep often gets relegated to a back burner during the school year — and we get it, the pressure to pass those tests and get those grades is real during the school year. That's why summer vacation is the best time to catch up on all that sleep you missed trying to ace your classes.

Pay Attention

Your lack of sleep during the school year isn't all because of your overloaded class or social schedules. Pay attention to your sleep schedule. Invest in a Fitbit or other fitness tracker that you can use to track your sleep patterns. This can be invaluable — if you're not getting restful sleep or are waking multiple times during the night, it's a sign that you're suffering from a sleep disorder. If your roommate complains about your snoring, it's possibly a sign of a more severe sleep disorder such as sleep apnea.

Most Important — Relax

Summer vacation is all about shedding the stresses of the school year. Don't let worrying about the next year or all the things that you must do this year stress you out. Focus on relaxing and letting all the stress you've accumulated throughout the semester fade away. Summer is a relaxing time — so focus on relaxing. Enjoy the things you love and don't worry about the things you don't — at least not until August or September when the new semester starts again.

De-Stress and Sleep

Sleep is more important than most people want to think — many people see it as a waste of time and try their very hardest to avoid it until it becomes necessary. Don't neglect your sleep just because there's a week-long party and you can't miss a moment of it.

Take the time to relax and catch up on all the sleep you missed during the school year. There's always another party or event to go to, but you'll never get that sleep back if you don't take advantage of your summer vacation. You won't have the time to catch up once the school year starts again. Enjoy your sleep while it lasts — it's always better to head out to the beach when the sun is rising, after all.