Sleep Deprived. Yawn.

I'm sure you have all heard the folk wisdom that you need at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, this is not folk wisdom. Our age cohort, in general, requires over 9 hours of sleep per night for optimal reaction time and higher order cognitive performance. (In non scientific language- 9+ hours of sleep per night means your brain and body function at their highest capability.) As a college student under the weight of a jam packed schedule, this is a pipe dream. Completely unrealistic, I'm sure you would agree.
The reality is that most of us suffer from chronic partial sleep deprivation, meaning consistent incomplete nights of rest. Sleep is absolutely crucial to our bodies; serving as a restorative process. Chronic partial sleep deprivation leads to delayed reaction time, increased risk for motor vehicole accidents, and significant health risks in the long term. On the same level of chronic partial sleep deprivation is total sleep deprivation. Also known as- and my worst nightmare- The All Nighter.
Pulling an all nighter is scary enough as it is. It became scarier when a guest lecturer in my Psychology class informed us of it's counteracting effects. Depriving your body of sleep in order to cram for an exam is associated with decreased memory consolidation. Memorizing, comprehending, and understanding material until 5 am does more than just make you tired the next day. Your recall of that information is severely impaired because of just one night of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprived and recall deprived. Or sleep endowed and memory endowed. It's a tough choice.
I'm still somewhat resistant to these facts. I have a bias that I can fight through anything and I have control over my body. Except these facts are overwhelming because they prove that ramifications of sleep deprivation. I'll leave you with this advice... Give your body a rest already!