Sleep Deprivation Olympics

The Competition you Shouldn’t Be Entering

by Casey Medert

Graphic by Melissa Lemieux

Ever since high school, I’ve grown used to hearing conversations like the following:

“I’m super exhausted. I couldn’t stay awake during class because I only got five hours of sleep last night.” “You think that’s bad? I wish I got five hours! I pulled an all-nighter to study.”

The fact that I’ve become accustomed to these conversations is concerning in itself. No one should be used to hearing about neglecting a vital part of our health in the name of productivity. Likewise, no one should normalize sacrificing Z’s for A’s.

Many treat sleep deprivation as a badge of honor. It seems synonymous with strength and willpower, as if to say, “I don’t need something as trivial as sleep like everyone else.”

Once, I sacrificed a few hours of sleep to study for a Japanese vocabulary quiz. I figured I could learn the new terms the night before, wake up at my usual time, study some more, and be all set. After doing exactly that, I scored the lowest I ever had on that type of assessment.

I had pulled similar stunts before, but even though this particular score didn’t significantly affect my grade, it was still a wake-up call (pun intended). I had accumulated significant sleep debt to stay on top of things, yet I failed to consider how it was affecting the quality of my work and my ability to manage my responsibilities. I was forgetting dates, responding more slowly, and taking longer to think.

There’s a reason why—especially in college—counselors, advisors, and mentors stress the importance of sleep. The recommended amount for adults is at least seven hours per night. Chronic sleep deprivation affects more than just energy levels; it can lead to cognitive impairment, forgetfulness, irritability, and reduced immunity, among other issues.

While powering through exhaustion might feel like an achievement, sleep deprivation is not a bragging right—nor should it be a competition. This sentiment is repeated by everyone and their mothers, yet we often prefer to preach it rather than practice it, as if the rule somehow doesn’t apply to us.

But when we take steps to prioritize sleep—setting limits on work, minimizing screen time, etc.—we can successfully remove ourselves from the Sleep Deprivation Olympics.

It’s a costly competition, after all.