College is not just fun and games; classes are hard and there is always homework to be done. Especially with ongoing midterms, there is often some serious studying that has to be done in order to achieve our desired grades.

College students are usually so busy and involved in so many activities outside of schoolwork, that it can be hard to manage time effectively, leading many students — admittedly including myself — to cram for exams and pull all-nighters just to reach a feeling of preparedness.

However, this is not actually the most effective way of studying, and can actually lead to a poorer performance on an exam, considering we forgo adequate amounts of sleep in the process.

I’ve stayed up all night to study in the past. The next day I think I’m fine, because as a college student, I obviously believe I’m invincible, but in actuality, I do not feel my best or perform my best, and I can’t seem to focus on anything.

Frequently, pulling an all-nighter to study is caused by procrastinating studying beforehand, leaving us with a need to make up for it all in one night. But studying a little bit each day leading up to the test and hitting the material hard for a couple hours the night before (followed by a good night’s sleep) would lead to overall increased performance on exams. http://www.vetsguide.com/ways_to_avoid_an_all-nighter_800703017.html

I’ve seen people come straight from the library to the exam room the next morning, and they look like they are just about ready to pass out. These levels of exhaustion are clearly not helpful to our optimal test taking performance.

Grades are important for all University students, and it would be far more beneficial if we got the recommended amount of sleep before exams, rather than abandoning it completely to cram in last minute information.

Staying up all night is pretty terrible for your health. Losing even just one night of sleep a week reduces your cognitive function. This makes it way harder to focus on things and makes you more likely to zone out and daydream, or even spontaneously fall asleep.http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/09/24/the-problem-with-all-nighters/

A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research titled “The Effect of Sleep Loss on Next Day Effort” found that students who lost a night of sleep before an exam had slower reaction times and “reduced effort,” meaning they did not try as hard as they normally would and were more likely to give up after a first try. http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/09/24/the-problem-with-all-nighters/

Not to mention the lack of sleep in general causes a weaker immune system, weight gain and can even alter hormone production in young adults, such as college students. http://synapse.koreamed.org/DOIx.php?id=10.3988/jcn.2012.8.2.146

On the whole, college students are not hoping to gain weight and be unhealthy, however a lot of times it just seems to “happen” to students. Lack of sleep can be a serious contributor to these negative side effects of the college lifestyle.

If all students were getting enough sleep, they would be healthier and more prepared educationally as well as more happy and productive people — which would help everyone enjoy the more fun parts of college, as well.

Students consistently trading sleep for studying should be concerned about the risks to their health, as well as their grade point average. It is crucial to remember that pulling an all-nighter does not always lead to a great exam score.

Every student on this campus should desire to do well in his or her field, but staying up all night to study is just not the way to do it.

College is already hard, so there is no reason to make it harder. Pulling all-nighters cannot only be bad for your GPA, but it is also bad for your health. While I know people are busy, this is actually a relatively simple fix. By procrastinating a little less and by sleeping a little more, we can maximize our college experiences.

Courtney is a sophomore in LAS.

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