By: Daisy Davis
You pop open the tab on your third energy drink of the day and start on another assignment. Although the paper will be written by 11:59, the effects of the caffeine will linger well into the night and may cause you to lose a little more sleep than intended.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, caffeine works by blocking Adenosine. Adenosine is a sleep inducing chemical that works as a signal to let your body know that you are tired.
With finals week in full swing, students are neglecting sleep in favor of an extra few hours of studying.
Kelly Sullivan, an associate professor at Georgia Southern and a neuroepidemiologist, said that neglecting to establish a healthy sleep-wake cycle is not the best idea.
"When adjusting to schedule changes, it's even more important to maintain good sleeping habits," Sullivan said.
Sullivan says that neglecting this sleep could be detrimental to our daily energy levels and moods.
Despite this warning, many university students will compromise their sleep to get through the last week of assignments.
Ieva Evaltatie is a senior at Georgia Southern University studying physics. With graduation just a week away, Ieva said she is doing more work than ever and getting less sleep.
"My finals week is very busy," Evaltatie said. "I have two finals this week, multiple assignments, and a few papers to submit before graduation."
Evaltatie said she was used to getting 8 hours of sleep per night, but she has had to sacrifice a few of these hours in order to get her work done.
"This week, I have been gettinga bout 5 hours of sleep per night," Evaltatie said. "My schedule this week will definitely make me sleep even less, and sleep is the first thing I'm going to sacrifice."
Saniyah Woullard, an exercise science major at the University of Georgia, tracks her sleep and her caffeine intake. In these last few weeks of classes, she has seen a noticeable shift.
"I'm used to getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but that hasn't been the case recently," Woullard said. "I also usually have 200 milligrams of caffeine a day to stay energized throughout the day and to do all of my workouts and assignments."
Woullard said that this week she has not been keeping up with her caffeine, but that she drinks about two energy drinks a day and a coffee most mornings.
"I have only been getting about 6 hours of sleep per night this week," Woullard said. "That may be enough for some people, but I can notice I feel a lot less energetic than usual."
Evaltatie said that she typically drinks two caffeinated beverages every day, but during finals week she has exceeded this multiple times.
"I usually try and avoid energy drinks, but it's almost impossible with all that I have to do right now," Evaltatie said.
According to Harvard Assistant Professor of Medicine, Lawrence Epstein, M.D., lack of sleep can lead to cognitive decline.
"When people don't get enough sleep, they're going to notice how it impacts their life," Lawrence said. "Your reaction time will lengthen, you'll become inattentive, and you won't respond well to signals in your environment."
Lawrence said that poor sleep can impact neurological performance and make your brain feel fuzzy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 88 percent of people who regularly consume caffeine in the afternoon also report at least one sleep problem.
So, before staying up those extra few hours, it might be beneficial to consider the impact it could have on your neurological and physical function throughout the following day.
Sullivan said that without sufficient sleep, our minds are unable to clear out "waste", and our bodies are unable to recover for the day ahead of us.
Even with finals week looming, maintaining a good sleep schedule and limiting overconsumption of caffeine may help you stay ahead of the curve.