This summer I got my sleep cycle back. After many nights staying up late to finish my reading assignments, I was finally able to get in my full eight hours. Through this I have learned one thing: sleep is important, although many students think otherwise.

The conversations that we have about sleep reflect our lack of seriousness around the matter. We are constantly one upping each other for who got the least amount of sleep — “Oh, you went to bed at 12? I went to bed at 2 a.m.!” On top of that, we are shell shocked by the people that actually go to bed at 10 p.m., or dare I say, 9 p.m. Getting the healthy amount of sleep each night is sadly not the social norm.

Not only is sleep deprivation a social norm, but it is also a sort of badge of honor. Not sleeping has become synonymous with working hard. The thinking is: the later you stay up, the more studying you can accomplish, and therefore the better you can do on that physics exam. Obviously, that reasoning is flawed. For if you really do stay up to 2 a.m. studying, showing up to the test half-asleep certainly won’t do you any good.

The social norms and badge of honor aspects of staying up late mask the downfalls of sleep deprivation. According to a Harvard Medical study, “when we are sleep deprived, our focus, attention, and vigilance drift, making it more difficult to receive information.” You have probably felt this after asking a friend to explain the same thing to you several times or zoning out during class.

If you feel that you are making poor decisions––which let’s be honest, a lot of us are––it may be because lack of sleep has caused your interpretation of events to be affected.

The ability to make sound decisions is gone because you are no longer able to accurately assess the situation, plan accordingly, and choose the correct behavior––judgment becomes impaired.

We probably all know how it can affect our mood (it makes for a very nasty mood), but it also can affect other key parts of our body. Neurons in the brain will not fire optimally, muscles are not rested, and the body’s organ systems are not synchronized. Lapses in focus from sleep deprivation can even result in accidents or injury.

While I am aware of the consequences of sleep deprivation, I am also aware of the fact that it is very easy to come by. The fact of the matter is, Parker is a competitive school, one of the best in the city. With that comes students who are driven to do their best in all ways possible––grades, sports, other extracurriculars like The Weekly, Model UN, and Student Government. To be a well-rounded student, means that you spend a tremendous amount of time perfecting all studies and additional activities, allowing sleep to fall by the wayside. I am also aware of the fact that people’s reasons for lack of sleep go beyond school ––family commitments, commuting, and the like.

All those are fine and well, and warrant the complaint of sleep deprivation. Procrastinating on your work and staying up to watch Netflix don’t. I hate to break it to you, but that’s your fault. If you really want to get your sleep cycle back, I will recommend one thing that I know people will have the immediate response of “I can’t”: make your parents hide all your electronics before you go to bed.

I have had to put my phone down in the kitchen upon returning to school and my computer down once I am done with my homework since eighth grade, and I truly believe it works. I swear by it. Do it.

For those that really do have the impossible schedule, I suggest talking to your teachers or advisors. Your advisor will be able to access the full picture of your schedule and may even suggest taking away some parts from it. On the other hand, your teacher is more of the case-by-case person. Talking to your teacher is for those specific nights where you are, for whatever reason, completely crammed.

In terms of how we talk to our teachers about sleep right now, I have noticed one thing: although students are perfectly fine talking about homework assignments and tests, a student’s personal life, including their sleep, is disregarded. At a school that thrives on the development of the individual, this shouldn’t be the case. We should be open to tell our teachers that we were up until midnight finishing a reading assignment and its assigned questions. That takes courage from the student, but most importantly, it takes understanding from the teacher.

I don’t know when not getting sleep became the trend, but we need to stop it here. It’s not cool, your under eye bags are not designer, and your coffee breath stinks.