Sleep: the precious hours a person spends throughout the night trying to rejuvenate the mind and body from the day’s activities.

However, not everyone takes advantage of this state of conscious. Some people do not feel the need to sleep, pulling all-nighters that common among students in high school and college. But the question is – Is sleep crucial to fully function  does an uneven circadian rhythm, the body’s 24-hour sleep-wake cycle, not even affect how people work?

“I procrastinate. I have a lot of homework but I also have stuff to do like chores: doing the dishes, taking care of my little sister, and making sure my room is clean. Homework for me usually doesn’t get started until 9, and done around 2 AM. It sucks, but I’m young and, well, you only live once,” said sophomore Yuberki Delgadillo.

Extra-curricular activities also play a key factor when considering the topic of lack of sleep because the scheduled times and extra work combined with homework leave little time to sleep.

“I don’t normally get to sleep until around 12:30 AM because of sports. It takes up a lot of my time since I work really hard to do my best. All the late night practices cause me to get home late and I usually don’t start my homework until about half an hour after I get home. It sucks to be up late but school does come first,” said sophomore Jake Keating.

Students are not bionic. Sleep is a necessity to function. According to the Harvard Health Journal, some of the common misconceptions of students about sleep are:

Myth 1: Getting just 1 hour less sleep per night won’t affect your daytime functioning. You may not be noticeably sleepy during the day. But even slightly less sleep can affect your ability to think properly and respond quickly, and compromise your cardiovascular health, energy balance, and ability to fight infections.

Myth 2: Your body adjusts quickly to different sleep schedules. Most people can reset their biological clock, but only by appropriately timed cues—and even then, by on to two hours per day at best. Consequently, it can take more than a week to adjust after traveling across several time zones or switching to the night shift.

Myth 3: Extra sleep at night can cure you of problems with excessive daytime fatigue. Not only is the quantity of sleep important but also the quality of sleep. Some people sleep eight or nine hours a night ,but do not feel well rested when they wake up because the quality of their sleep is poor.

“I need sleep. Without it I feel as if I don’t function properly. With cheer, dance, and everything else I do, I need all the energy I can get. Short naps make my life go round,” said sophomore Lauren Kang.