Most college students don’t even know what a good night of sleep means.

Freshman Sarah Harms admits that she gets less sleep than she should.

“I probably get seven hours of sleep a night on a good night,” Harms said. “The earliest I go to bed is 12:30 a.m. with the latest being 2 a.m.”

Harms said there are a lot of factors that contribute to her lack of sleep at night.

“I drink a lot of pop and beverages with caffeine,” Harms said. “I also seem to get a second wind at around 10 p.m. so I never seem to be tired early in the night. If I tried to go to bed at 10 p.m., I would lay awake for three hours.”

Harms also said her late nights cause her to be drowsy in at least one of her classes.

“I have one class that I get very tired in,” Harms said. “I find myself looking at the clock a lot. I try to take notes, but then I’ll go cross-eyed and lose my focus because I feel so tired.”

According to an article written by Dr. Michael Breus, lack of concentration is just one of the many consequences of not getting enough sleep.

According to Breus, lack of sleep contributes to poor performance. The article states that lack of sleep decreases alertness. It also says excessive daytime sleepiness impairs memory and the abilities to think and process information.

Freshman Michelle Boyd admits that she doesn’t get enough sleep.

“On average, I get about four hours of sleep a night,” Boyd said.

Boyd has had some extreme cases of sleeplessness, too.

“There was one week where I didn’t sleep from Wednesday to Friday,” Boyd said. “I just had too much to do during the day that I had to stay up all night for two nights straight and get my homework done.”

Boyd said her usual time for bed is 2 a.m.

“I sometimes feel exhausted during the day,” Boyd said. “But then I realize how much stuff I need to do and just wake up. I go to classes and then go to work right after so I am on the go from early in the morning until about 9 p.m. After that it’s homework time. I also stay awake by drinking a lot of tea and eating chocolate.”

Boyd admits it’s difficult to stay awake during the day.

“I will find myself dozing off in class,” Boyd said. “And if I try to do homework during the day, I usually fall asleep in the middle of reading and I wake up a half hour later.”

Junior Andrew Bergman is also among those too busy for a solid night of sleep.

“I know I don’t get enough sleep,” Bergman said. “But the normal demands of a college students contribute to that. I’m pulled in so many directions that it only leaves night to do homework and study.”

Bergman also struggles to stay awake in his classes.

“I am usually exhausted during the day,” Bergman said. “I get tired right after I’ve been to classes, yet I can never go take a nap because I have so many other commitments.”