Go to bed.

I understand that you probably have a lot on your plate, but just go to bed.

Adults aged 18-25 are supposed to get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. I want you now to think about the last time you had a good 7-9 hours of sleep. Well, seeing how we’ve only got one more week of school left after Friday, that was probably many, many moons ago.

It sucks, doesn’t it? Lately I’ve been so tied up with school, work and last-minute errands that I haven’t been able to get much sleep this week.

I am currently running on four hours of sleep as I write this column, and I’m sure lots of you out there are doing the same.

I’m starting to realize just how badly poor sleep affects the human brain and body.

My attention and focus, for one, are extremely diminished when I’m sleep depraved.

Something really depressing that comes with sleep depravation is a lack of interest.

Sleep depravity can also negatively affect memory and relationships. A lack of sleep breeds moodiness and confusion, and those two things lead to anger and frustration.

Even more unsettling, you’re more likely to get hurt and/or hurt others in car accidents if you aren’t getting enough sleep, which makes sense seeing as memory and information processing suffer greatly from no sleep, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Some of the long-term consequences of sleep depravation include high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, obesity, depression and lower sex drive, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

So I’ve gone over what bad things can happen to a person when that person doesn’t get enough sleep. In short, there’s just too much that can go wrong.

It’s easier said than done but I challenge you—yes, you (the fellow college student who is suffering and depressed just like me)—to say “f— it” and get more sleep than you normally do.

I understand how you feel. You feel like you’ve got too much work to do to get another three or four hours of sleep. Maybe you do have something due in some class and you’d have to miss out on some points in exchange for a decent sleep.

I’m telling you to take that chance. Don’t do that all the time, but sacrifice those points if it means you’ll be able to function normally.

Email your professor an explanation. Maybe they’ll understand and give an extension (those are the best professors).

Your health and happiness is worth so much more than any grade you could ever receive. Just remind yourself that you’re worth the extra sleep.

Also remind yourself that you could die if you don’t. I suppose that’s also pretty important.

Logan Raschke is a junior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at lrraschke@eiu.edu.