Sleep. A concept that all high schoolers are familiar with. Whether one detests it, adores it or has a love-hate relationship with it, sleep is the one thing that every high schooler can discuss for hours on end.
Around midnight (or even sooner for the less adept,) one inevitably feels the gentle tug of sleep threatening to stop one from the only thing that will result in a passing grade: studying. Although it’s true that 10 days without sleep can result in dying, a few nights without sleep can result in saving your GPA from dying.
Luckily, there are a few ways to delay this ever-increasing torpor. Personally, drinking caffeinated tea is one of the best methods I use to stay awake. I also utilize other strategies such as eating extremely high sugar-content foods. Although some might worry that eating so much sugar can lead to diabetes, I can confidently state that the stress of studying for a final exam burns off the amount of calories gained and more. In fact, one of my good friends was able to lose 10 pounds just from studying for AP Government and Politics. The combination of cutting dinner in half to study as well as pulling all-nighters two weeks before our final exam allowed her to secure a satisfying grade and to slim down a bit.
Another strategy that I have seen work well is to snatch a few hours of sleep in between studying periods. This gives the illusion of feeling well-rested while also being able to study as much as needed. For example, many of my friends sleep at 1:00 AM only to wake up three hours later to continue cramming. Even better, there are only a few downsides to this method: users often experience looking or feeling “zombie-like” the next day and a Venti-size coffee is needed to stay awake for the rest of the day. Also, sports performance may decrease due to the dizziness and weakness felt after an all-nighter or sometimes even after catching a few hours of sleep.
Although sleep deprivation is at its peak during school and especially during final exams, a little known fact is that sleep deprivation also occurs heavily during summer. This is because of the Netflix marathons and obsessive scrolling on Instagram and Tumblr that unavoidably happen. Sleep may be crucial to health, but social media is essential for sanity.
In the end, one mantra stands out clear in these examples: sleep is important, but it is never the most important. In the groggy, unfocused state of mind of a sleepless teenager or even in (god forbid!) the clear, rested mind of someone who miraculously managed to get nine hours of sleep, this mantra stands out strong and clear, unwavering despite the forceful tugs of insistent stupor.
Lack of sleep can lead to death, but insufficient grades can lead to a low-paying job which is essentially the same thing as death. How’s that for a Catch 22?
