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We all have difficult assignments and exams that we need to finish on time. Pulling an all-nighter might be the only solution when we have little time. I had my fair share of all-nighters, it gets the job done, but it also makes you sleep deprived. How often should you do all-nighters, and how long should you sleep?
The biggest issue with pulling all-nighters is that students become sleep deprived and more likely to stay awake late hours every day, making them wake up late and sleep fewer hours. This disrupts the sleep routine and affects the student’s mental acuity. This effect the ability to balance work and study and is more likely to impact mental health and increase anxiety levels.
Why staying up all night is bad for your health?
Staying up all night affects your mode and happiness. Scientifically speaking, people who stay up all night become very moody and more likely to suffer from anxiety attacks and stress. This has to do with your sleeping habits. We know that not having a sleeping routine or not sleeping enough hours at night can affect the production of some hormones, such as testosterone, also known as your happy hormone.
From my experience, the more I pulled all-nighters, the less focused I was during the day. My anxiety levels tend to go up significantly, and I can easily be triggered and get angry. Other students who did the same have suffered from the same thing. Staying up all night can get the job done, but we can not deny that it is bad for your health.
The thing I suffered from the most was the anxiety attacks during my engineering course. This post has some tips I learned about beating stress and anxiety: How To Beat Stress, Fear & Anxiety as Engineering Student.
Does all-nighter work for engineering students?
As far as I do not want to admit it, yes, it did the job for me multiple times when I had an exam or an assignment that I needed to submit the second day. Yet when you finish your exam or assignment, you are pretty much useless for the rest of the day; you have to get some sleep straight away. The biggest issue is that staying up all night becomes the norm unless you try to adjust your bedtime.
I spent the first two years in my engineering course pulling all-nighters and the years after avoiding all-nighters. Becoming a better planner was the answer to avoiding all-nighters altogether. If I have an assignment and work on the same day, I just need to start on the assignment early before any student. I noted down all those critical dates on my calendar to not miss any.
That is all to it. The more you do all-nighters, the more you should realise that you are not prioritising your tasks well. Becoming a better planner was the answer for me as for other students. I have put a complete guide on how you should plan things as an engineering student: How Engineering Students Balance Work And Study? A Guide.
How much should you sleep as an engineering student?
Every person has their limits. Sleeping for 7.5 hours means I am well rested, but I can get by just fine if I do 6.5 hours. In general, people need around 7-8 hours to rest and recover fully. If you do not know how much you need, try to experiment for a few nights and learn what the best for you is. Most engineers rely on coffee and energy drinks to give them the focus they need from their lost hours. It does work, but to an extent: Is Coffee Bad For Engineers? 6 Life-Changing Tips.
I realised that the lecturer was not so bad most of the time. It was just me because I was too tired to pay attention to what the lecturer was saying. It is difficult to admit so, but that is the truth. You know how much you need to sleep to stay focused, but you stay up for longer hours because you are on your phone or want to watch one more episode of your favourite show. Unless you realise those habits are destroying you, you will never adjust your sleep.
What can you do differently? Try to implement small gradual changes. Introducing too many changes at once usually does not work, and you will find yourself back into the old habits. Try to go to bed one hour early every night and slowly remove distractions such as phones, tablets and TV. Sleeping well and having a good routine did help me get on top of my studies. Learn about my university experience here: Life As an Engineering Student. What can a graduate engineer teach you?
