Lack of Sleep for one justice under all?

It seems all too common. Perhaps you have experienced it. Though it would not surprise me if the majority of the college population has fallen victim to one of these at least once in their young career. The culprit? All-nighters. You know when you procrastinate until the absolute last minute to cram three days of studying into an entire eight hour cram session. Sometimes this may only occur one time in the typical four-year experience. Then for others it may be a few times a semester. Then there's a bi-weekly occurrence or more. In my career I used to fit into the middle category; where I would sacrifice an entire night of sleep perhaps a time or two a semester. However I seem to have fallen into the bi-weekly or more sacrifice. It has only been within the past few months where I pay for either my over-loaded schedule or procrastination. Perhaps I can blame it on both.

More recently however, Dr. Neil B. Kavey, the director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, offers some clues in the msnbc article

Why do we need so much sleep?

We don't fully understand the importance of sleep. What we do know is that sleep is an anabolic, or building, process. And we think it restores the body’s energy supplies that have been depleted through the day’s activities.

Sleep is also the time when the body does most of its repair work; muscle tissue is rebuilt and restored. We know, for example, that growth hormone is secreted during sleep. This hormone is important for growth in children, but is also important throughout adulthood in rebuilding tissues.

What are some of the consequences of not having enough sleep?

One of the ways we have of understanding why we need to sleep so much is to look at what happens if we don’t get enough sleep. It affects our personalities and our sense of humor. We may become irritable and less tolerant. Parents of small children often tell me that when they’re tired they get irritated at the antics of children that might amuse them if they were properly rested.

Lack of sleep clearly affects our thinking, or cognitive, processes. A sleep-deprived brain is truly running on four rather than eight cylinders. If we’re trying to be creative, the motor doesn’t work as well. We can perform calculations, but not as quickly. We’re much more likely to make errors. It’s because the brain’s engine hasn’t been replenished.