Us college students are busy during the day with classes, studying, jobs, clubs, sports, and other commitments. Our schedules are packed and we're very busy; some days I leave my dorm room early in the morning to catch breakfast before class and don't back to my room until close to 7:30 PM, where I quickly change to hit the gym.

Because we have so many things going on during the day, it only makes sense that we choose to let loose with our friends during the nighttime, when we finally have time to ourselves. From what I know as a second-semester sophomore residing on campus, pregames usually start around 10:30 PM, leaving parties to start closer to midnight. I don't know how other colleges are, but students at my university usually "hit the bars" around campus after midnight.

screenshot from my iPhone

There have been times where I leave my dorm room just before half-past ten at night to get to my friend's apartment before it hits eleven. We usually head out to a party around midnight, and let the night take us wherever it may. I usually get back to my dorm room at around 2:30 or 3:00 AM, just a handful of hours before I should be getting up to start my inevitably busy routine.

It's no wonder why college kids are so tired all the time. Sure, we stay up late studying and writing papers during the week (and even sometimes during the weekend when desperate times call for desperate measures). But it's only natural for us to want to blow off some steam by going out at night and letting loose. Yet, why should having fun and destressing come at the price of sleep deprivation?

We lose a considerable amount of sleep, to begin with, because of all the demanding commitments we're tied to as students. Wouldn't our lives be so much easier if we went out earlier in the night? Think about all the hours of sleep we could save if we pregamed at an earlier time.

Is there some special rule that we can only enjoy ourselves after it turns 10:30 PM? Absolutely not. If you think about it, when the weather's nice, we 'darty' after classes end and practically all day during the weekend. As long as the sun's out, you'll find kids in backyards playing beer pong. Some people even prefer darties over going out at night. So, this only proves that it's possible to enjoy ourselves before the clock strikes midnight.

screenshot from my iPhone

I doubt my friends are going to start their pregames at 7:00 PM because most of us are busy. But if only we started pregaming around 9:00 or even 9:30 PM, so parties started closer to 11:00 PM. This way, by the time we get back to our place it's not ridiculously late; it would only be around 1:00 AM or so (depending on the night, of course). We might actually be productive the next morning when we start the busy day.

There's no reason why we shouldn't be able to go out at night and enjoy ourselves, but get to sleep at a reasonable time. Blowing off steam with friends shouldn't come at the cost of even more sleep deprivation. Going out earlier in the night while being able to get some much-needed rest is a win-win.