We’ve all seen the memes of this list:
Pick two out of the three:
• Having an active social life
• Receiving good grades
• Getting enough sleep
Even though the intention was purely comical, there’s a sad truth to the matter too. How many of us of us sacrifice one of these items so we can have the other two? How many times do we make the choice to go out with our friends and forget our homework, or forgo sleep and pull and all-nighter to study, or manage to get sleep and finish schoolwork but say no to friends?
It is so tough to try and find that balance. Most of the time we do not succeed.
There is one point on that list though that gets vastly overlooked by almost everyone: getting enough sleep.
Most people are willing to sacrifice a good night’s rest to do the homework they procrastinated on during the day or to stay out to all hours of the night with their friends. However, the importance of sleep doesn’t deserve to be overlooked.
Sleep gives our bodies time to recover after a physically and emotionally taxing day. We’re not Superman, even though we’d like to believe so. We have to let our bodies rest or we’ll get to a point where all the espresso shots in the world will not make us function.
I know for me, when I go a straight week of only sleeping a few hours a night, I was guaranteed to get sick the following week. We allow our bodies to become so tired that they are more susceptible to infections. This is why doctors tell their patients to make sure they rest or it will only get worse.
Now, I’m not saying that everyone needs to drop everything they’re doing and hop in bed to get eight hours of sleep. I understand that there are times where it’s necessary to study the night before a big exam or it’s time to let loose and have some fun.
However, maybe we could find time to take a nap the next day.
