OPINION: All-nighters bad for health? You don’t say

By David Gomez Jr.
Editor-in-chief
Published Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021

Yes, it is 1:13 a.m. as I type this. And no, I am not pulling an all-nighter again. 

For those who still have no idea what an all-nighter is, it is when a person stays up past their curfew in order to complete last-minute assignments they should have begun as soon as they were told about them.

I am guilty of this bad habit. Lacking sleep throughout the day is not a good thing. I most certainly feel lethargic, heavy and on auto-pilot—if that makes sense. My all-nighters usually end up with me finishing my assignments at 6 a.m. and leaving just enough time to “wake-up” a bit while I shower for work at 7 a.m. Without fail, I always work when I’ve pulled them this semester. 

I’ve had five all-nighters so far this semester. A personal record if I must say, but let me tell everyone in case they still don’t see the point I’m getting at—they are bad for you!

According to sleep.org, staying up all night is bad for physical health due to depriving oneself of necessary sleep. Sleep deprivation can lower the body’s resistance to illness and infections. This also increases the risk of high blood pressure.

Of course, I am not putting down the insomniacs who walk and sit among us in classrooms, but my question to them is, “How? Why does the mind do that to you?”

I feel like I need as much sleep as possible to do my best every day. I’m not gonna lie, there are days when I get as much as five hours of sleep and I feel invincible and those when I sleep a full eight and I drag my feet everywhere I go. 

The bottomline is this, you need sleep. I need sleep. We all need sleep. Take naps between classes. I can almost guarantee you most students want to bed in their shoes while dreaming of gumdrops and lollipops before taking an exam worth 30% of the course.

Self-discipline yourself to a sleep schedule. It just might work and you just might feel better throughout the day.