It’s the last week of classes here at QU, which means finals week isn’t too far away. With the endless amount of exams, papers, group projects and catch-up work to do, students forget the most important thing: sleep.

Many students put sleep at the bottom of their priority list, but doing so is extremely dangerous. If you forgo the doctor-recommended eight or more hours of sleep in lieu of over-caffeinated all-nighters, there can be serious consequences.

For starters, lack of sleep causes memory loss, according to the Huffington Post. That’s right: the information you stayed up until 6 a.m. cramming for is probably gone by now. Sleep helps you store that information and be able to recall it more efficiently.

Second, sleep deprivation decreases your optimism, according to PsychCentral. This may sound silly, but going into exams with a positive attitude is half the battle. Also, you become less friendly, giving those group projects another reason to become difficult. Your collaboration and problem-solving skills will certainly be subpar if you’re running on too few hours of sleep. So much for that coveted A.

Other scary side effects include increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, as well as a lower threshold for stress, according to the Huffington Post. Trust me, you’ll become a more productive finals week survivor if you leave time for sleep.

Photo by Megan Maher