This widespread "no sleep epidemic" shows that sleep deprivation is not only unknown as a danger but is almost celebrated. It becomes a bragging right or way of life for college students. We will walk into class saying, “Man, I had to pull an all-nighter for this test,” or, “Wow, I’m running on two hours of sleep."

I'm just as guilty as any other student, but once I learned of how important sleep really is and how it effects every area of my life, I quickly re-evaluated my sleeping patterns.

I conducted a poll on campus and results showed that out of 25 students, 19 got between 3-7 hours of sleep per night, and only six got between 8-12 hours. So basically, over 75% of the people you pass everyday are walking zombies...

This sleeping behavior is dangerous to our health in more ways than one. First, once we are awake longer than 17 hours, our bodies enter a slower mental state. Your depth perception and reaction time are the same as a drunk person. So when you're tired and wondering why you're so clumsy... now you know.

When we don't sleep enough, we become dependent on stimulants such as caffeine or medicine, and that's awesome - until we crash. Our productivity levels are quickly elevated then quickly decline. When we get our second cup or drink caffeine late at night, what we think will be one last little boost becomes an instant gateway to insomnia. Caffeine lasts in the blood stream for six hours, making it near impossible to fall asleep soon after consumption. Large caffeine consumption can also increase anxiety and blood pressure.

Okay, enough of the bad news. The good news is SLEEP IS GOOD! Getting enough sleep can improve your reaction time, memory, accelerated metabolism and improved emotion. Going to sleep at a regular time and waking at the same time every morning can improve your circadian rhythm and quality of sleep.

So calm down on caffeine, exercise during the day, turn off your phone 30 minutes before bed and get a regular bed and wake time to get some good, much needed sleep.