I’ve been an insomniac my whole life. From when I was an overactive child, up until my frenzied senior year of high school, I’ve been the type of person to stay up all night without sleep. I’d watch cheesy infomercials while online shopping and eating cold leftovers. I had mastered the art of being a night owl, and admittedly, I pulled it off pretty well.

I didn’t need to catch up on my lost sleep during the day – one cup of coffee, and I could stay conscious for another five to six hours, going to school or working on homework without a single complaint. I’ve even gone 48 hours without sleep, and proudly recounted the interesting experience to my friends. However, upon entering college, I’ve seen all the flaws in my old way of life.

College has made me realize that I can’t keep doing this to my body. Whether I am willing to accept the fact or not, deep down, I am human. I need food, water, and sleep to survive. And although I’ve tried to maintain my insomniac ways, I’ve learned my lesson the hard way — staying up until four in the morning isn’t a wise decision when you have a 9 a.m. class.  

In my lectures, I’m the girl who shows up to class with dark circles under her eyes, and a four-ton capacity coffee mug in tow. Sleep-deprivation is exhausting and stressful, and causes me to constantly get sick. The insomnia, when combined with the demands of a full college schedule, gives me colds, and a weak immune system just isn’t going to fit into my busy schedule.

Instead of putting myself at risk of getting seriously sick (and seriously stressed), sleep is going to take a priority in my life. No more 8 p.m. coffee runs, no more procrastinating on papers and no more late-night TV. I’ll miss you, Craig Ferguson, but I need my beauty sleep.