Postponing Sleep to Study and Succeed

OPINION

It felt like all I needed was a few more hours before I could finally rest. My eyes grew heavy and grainy from studying past my limit, yet I kept pushing myself to go on. Each time I finished reviewing a topic for my midterm, I told myself I just needed a few more minutes to go over the final details. But those details always slipped away. No matter how many times I reread them, they vanished from my mind within minutes, as if they had never been there at all. 

My drooping eyes were the only sign of how late it had gotten. Still, I persevered. I needed to earn a good grade and impress my professor. This relentless drive reflects my desire to succeed academically and adds to the bigger pressures that I face as a student striving for social mobility. I must balance scholarship requirements and prove myself in spaces where students like me are often underestimated.

For many of us, the path to social mobility comes with higher expectations than ever. It is no longer enough to excel in the classroom. We are expected to participate in extracurricular activities, secure internships, and build experiences that make us competitive even for entry-level positions.

For me, these pressures are intensified by my scholarship, which requires taking a full course load of five classes each semester and maintaining a strong GPA. Balancing all of this often means sacrificing sleep, staying up late to study or complete assignments. Putting off sleep is more than a habit. It is a symptom of the high stakes attached to my education and my desire to succeed.

Research supports the connection between academic pressure and lost sleep. In a study called, “Experiences of Bedtime Procrastination in University Students,” published in Sage Journals, researchers  found that voluntarily delaying sleep reduces sleep quality, shortens sleep duration, and impairs daytime functioning. 

In my experience, the thought of “just a few more minutes” of studying becomes a loop rather than a pause. It illustrates the way  pressure for academic achievement can produce the same negative effects identified in the study.

As a Puerto Rican, Afro-Latina, part of an underrepresented community, I feel another layer of pressure. Societal expectations constantly push me to prove that I belong and am capable of succeeding. Every extra hour spent studying, every sleepless night, is not just about grades. It is about demonstrating that I can thrive in spaces that were not always built for students like me. My identity intersects with these demands and that makes sacrifices, including lost sleep, a necessary part of navigating both my education and the broader social expectations placed upon me.

Ultimately, social mobility comes with invisible costs. While education opens doors to opportunity, the pressure to succeed can take a toll on students’ physical and mental health. My experience, reflects the research on bedtime procrastination. Upward mobility often demands personal sacrifices, especially for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Despite these challenges, I continue to push forward, carrying not only my ambitions but also the hope of demonstrating that students like me belong and can thrive. The pursuit of success may require sleepless nights, but it also reflects determination, resilience, and the drive to achieve against the odds.

This essay was supported and written in collaboration with the Social Mobility Lab in the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

Photo courtesy Needpix.com