To Sleep, or Not to Sleep?

That is the question…

The life of an IB student, or any student for that matter, revolves around work, work, and even more work! Truly, there seems to be no end to the amount of tasks to submit, tests to study for, content to revise, and so on. And so, we tend to prioritize work over our social life, happiness, and worst of all, our sleep. 

Now, you may think that by choosing to stay awake five more hours during the night (or the whole night), you are being more efficient or productive. Believe me, I thought the same. Five hours of work while everyone else sleeps, just to wake up early in the morning, join classes, and do it all over again. There is no leftover energy for talking to friends or going out, because all you’re thinking about is sleep and work, and the occasional meal. After weeks of following this routine, you and your body become addicted to a lack of sleep. Something has to change! 

In the biological sense, a lack of sleep can be manifested through certain symptoms, such as fatigue, difficulty focusing, mood changes, irritability, and reduced memory (MedicalNewsToday). The effects of this sleep deprivation can be observed in the body by looking at reduced hormone levels, which affect the production of certain hormones such as melatonin, the growth hormone, and cortisol. Too much or too little of these hormones in the body can affect how we perform in our day-to-day lives, and can reduce our productivity and efficiency, therefore having the opposite effect that we were aiming for (to get our work done/meet deadlines). Another effect of a lack of sleep is a weakened immune system, since antibodies and cells that target diseases are less often produced when we don’t sleep (Mayo Clinic). A third health risk that comes as a result of sleep deprivation is the risk of diabetes, since the processes that maintain blood pressure and sugar levels in our body are affected. 

From a student’s perspective, however, the worst part about the lack of sleep is our reduced attention span, decision-making skills, memory, and retaining of information. These are probably some of the most important attributes of a student, since it is what allows us to learn and understand what we are being taught in order to apply it elsewhere. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep will prevent you from performing adequately, and, as I mentioned before, will have the opposite effect! Eventually (sooner or later), sleep deprivation does catch up to you and will have a negative impact on your mood, physical and mental health, academics, and relationships. 

So, next time you think about staying up for an extra five hours, think about this article. Instead of doing the former, try to sleep much earlier and wake up early the next morning so that you can complete your tasks on time, and still get enough sleep to be efficient.