Observing the community around us, the determination of one’s optimal sleep duration seems to be put aside by most. The sight of students dragging their lifeless bodies across campus and numerous windows glaring with that florescent light of overtime are commonplace on campus, and chances are you have been that student or at that place, especially during the exam weeks. I am certain that the words “project,” “exam,” and “group meeting” incite a specific response from you: that mixture of dread, acceptance, and sudden drowsiness as the memories of late nights and free flows of energy drinks hit you like a bucket of cold water. The truth of the matter is, sleep is one of our basest of needs that is fast becoming a commodity, unlike how it used to be in earlier years of one’s life. In a time and place of never ending competition, sleep is put off to the side as a hassling drainer of precious time that could be used for creating an edge over others, if not used to finish off the mammoth task at hand.

As this social dynamic continues to affect everyone, incidents related to fatigue increases. A study conducted by the Adelaide Centre for Sleep Research stated that during the use of an automotive vehicle, a person who has been awake for 17 hours is twice as likely to crash as a person who is not fatigued, and a person who has been awake for a full 24 hours is seven times more likely to crash. In fact, there are myriads of studies and statistics done on the relationship between fatigue and driving a vehicle – some even claim that the number of accounts of fatigue related vehicular accidents ranges in the millions each year. Driving is not the only issue. Sleep deprivation’s effect reaches the heart, eyes, brain, and virtually all other bodily organs. It may be that the exact amount of required sleep is uncertain, but it is definitely certain that enough sleep is quintessential to one’s well-being.

While the social norm for sleep duration is reduced, the time of sleep is pushed forward. In the battle of early birds and night owls, society seems to favor the former. You may agree that the 9 a.m. classes at KAIST are more favorable to the early birds of the student body. The night owls are therefore left to adjust accordingly and follow the early birds, either by sleeping earlier or simply not sleeping much at all. The choice lies on whether or not you are willing to, or can afford to, lose sleep.

With no exact metric to measure the right amount of sleep and avoiding sleep not an option (unless you are willing to accept quite a self-destructive path in life), determining this amount is in your hands. You know your body best. You must decide whether you can function with what little sleep you get after a long day of assignments and meetings, or if you need more sleep, no matter how much you may want to be able to do otherwise. It is on you to decide when you will sleep. Choose prudently, as the wrong choice could lead you to reap the consequences.