Everyone knows how much sleep we're supposed to get. Reliable sources say that seven to eight hours of sleep is ideal. However, seven to eight hours is not always achievable. In college, I've become accustomed to staying up very late and waking up early (maybe not early, but at a time in which breakfast is still being served). I didn't see much of a problem with this schedule until recently because I'm still getting more sleep than I did most days in high school; in general, college is infinitely more tiring.

A couple weeks ago, I decided that attempting to get seven hours of sleep was a good goal, especially since I didn't have any homework requiring my attention. So, I got my seven hours, and I had the most refreshing day — I wasn't tired, someone told me I looked well-rested, and I never once contemplated a nap. It was a fantastic day, purely because exhaustion was not a problem.

But here's the catch: while I would love to get seven or eight hours of sleep every night, I would rather spend my time being productive. Instead of sleeping, I could do homework, eat, hang out with friends, do laundry, or anything else. Sleep is important, but spending one-third of my day sleeping sounds highly unproductive. In a given week, that's more than two full days of sleep. Plus, aren't weekends for catching up on sleep?

In the life of any busy college student, eight hours of sleep can be difficult to attain. We may try our best to get a reasonable amount of rest, but it's not crucial to hit eight when assignments remain unfinished. Sleep is certainly important, but getting enough of it is not worth stressing over. The goal of getting extra sleep when exhausted and trying to get the most possible sleep daily is good enough for me.