1. Loss of focus
This is especially crucial if you’re planning to stay up all night studying for an exam. If you give up your sleep to cram in a few extra study hours, chances are you’ll do worse than if you had gotten proper rest.
Your body needs time to rest and recharge in the form of sleep. When you pull an all-nighter, it’s like trying to get through the day with a 10 percent% charge on your cell phone. To make up for the lack of energy, you lose the ability to focus and concentrate on important things such as exam questions. Cognitive function decreases dramatically when you try to stay up all night studying.
2. Increased anxiety
Let’s face it, if you’re trying to pull an all-nighter you’re probably already stressed. You’re either freaking out over a paper due or an exam tomorrow or any other number of issues. But Iif you stay up all night trying to prepare, you’re only increasing your stress levels.
Your brain will become anxious without sleep as a signal for you to get some rest. This added stress will cause many students to go into a panic and stay awake longer to make up for it, but in actuality sleep is the best cure for those twitchy nerves.
3. You’ll get sick
Right now it’s flu season. The best way to stay healthy is to get enough sleep at night, giving your body a chance to fight off any of those germs that snuck in. When you don’t sleep, you’re more likely to get ill because your body doesn’t have enough energy to fight off an infection.
If being sick isn’t enough of a consequence, just remember that if you’re sick cognitive function will decrease even more. You’ll feel miserable and do miserably in class at the same time. Not to mention, no one wants you to come to parties when you’re dripping snot everywhere.
All-nighters aren’t worth it. Plan ahead to make sure you don’t have to stay up until 4:00 am finishing the paper you forgot was due tomorrow. And if all else fails, remember that not turning in that paper will not be the end of the world.