The life of a student starts once the sun goes down. Sure, you’re awake every morning for your lectures and other student activities but let’s be honest, as students we do our best work (and partying) at night time. But should we really be putting our bodies through all this? Well some people say yes, others say no, here’s my view on it.
Let’s start by looking at all the benefits of burning the midnight oil…
First of all it’s a sign of increased intelligence.
That’s right, staying up late at night is often linked with being super smart.
According to a study published in the journal "Personality and Individual Differences", more intelligent children are likely to sleep late and wake up late on both weekdays and weekends.
Next up, staying up late might contribute to your creativity.
People who stay up late are proven to come up with more creative solutions when faced with a problem. Overall their late night habits promote their brains to think outside the box.
And finally, you have more time to catch up with all the overdue assignments, reading and studying you have most definitely not been doing at 8 in the morning.
That’s right, when you’re up late you have a lot more time to actually get work done, that way you won’t feel overwhelmed during the daytime while you’re trying to cope with lectures and work since you’ve already finished everything you need to do the night before.
However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to staying up late… It’s also important to be aware of all the bad things that could happen too if you don’t get enough sleep.
The main issue with staying up late is linked to a lot of health issues.
People who stay up late are more likely to develop issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Not only that but it’s believed that people who stay up late are also more likely to consume more alcohol and tobacco. This could lead to a whole other slew of health problems.
Another thing to be weary of is the impact on your academic performance.
Most teenagers can’t get to sleep before 11pm. This is mostly because of hormonal changes and puberty, but school responsibilities and social lives also play a part in it. As a result most student grades suffer because almost all teenagers get overtired. Not only that, but students who don’t get enough sleep are also more susceptible to emotional problems.
Finally, staying up late has been linked with depression and bad moods.
A study published in “Depression and Anxiety” found that people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have depression and anxiety disorders.
With all this in mind I think it’s safe to say that staying up late is not the ideal thing to do for our mental and physical health, however if done in moderation it can seriously help you cope with student life.
Are you a night owl or a morning person?
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The contents of this article/post should not be considered as professional medical advice.
Consult your health professional if suffering from any related symptoms.
