Sleep is important for everyone, especially college students. But when we're supposed to be getting our seven hours of divine slumber, we are usually up partying, studying, or watching Netflix. So what happens when we don't get enough sleep?
According to a study in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, a lack of sleep can impair judgment and memory. People are more emotional, and their hand-eye coordination declines. To me, this sounds a lot like the average college student; not having exactly the best judgment, having a bad memory after pulling an all nighter for an exam, being extremely emotional and crying all the time, and finally being simply all around clumsy. It makes sense that a large number of college students are probably sleep deprived because they have all the qualities that result when a lack of sleep is present.
When you realize you have a huge test the next day, it is wiser to study a reasonable amount, and opt out of an all nighter. When someone stays up all night they also produce high levels of Cortisol, which is known as the hormone that causes stress. Your body also produces the hormone called Ghrelin, which makes you hungrier than normal, resulting in you eating three bags of Cheetos at four in the morning, even though you know you will regret that the next week.
The absolute worst thing about pulling an all nighter is that it makes concentrating difficult. In a study done in the US National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health, sleep deprivation affects the frontal lobes of your brain. This means you are impairing your spacial, auditory, and visual skills for a long period. What is the point of staying up all night to study for an exam when the next day your concentration will be so off, you probably won't even be able to focus on the test? You will end up being an emotional, over-eating, and unfocused college kid who probably failed that exam you spent all night studying for, until you finally crash in the middle of the day. Really think about it the next time you think an all nighter is a good idea.
