We live in a day where people believe the key to success is having dedicated all night to work. College students find themselves in the library studying at 4 a.m. hoping that if they are there long enough they will know the subject matter. Why does this success have to come at the expense of a good night sleep?

Plot twist: It doesn’t.

College students should find themselves a sleep schedule because it opens up time in their day, makes waking up easier and allows them to further pursue the common good.

I used to have the mentality of most college students — sleep as much and as often as possible. The result was usually falling asleep most nights at 2 a.m. with help from melatonin. The next day waking up in fog for my 8 a.m. class, taking a cat nap between class, practice or any time-consuming responsibility in my life. Somehow I justified all of that sleep with the mindset, “I’ve earned this.” Because of this I ended up not finishing homework, feeling rushed and never having free time. After a freshman year full of frustration, I decided to look into what I was doing wrong when it came to my sleep habits.

The National Sleep Foundation states that the body uses an internal clock called the circadian rhythm that does its best to guess when you are going to sleep. The circadian rhythm then cues you to feel tired at certain times attempting to get you as many REM (restless eye movement) sleep cycles as possible. The body struggles to do this when a sleep schedule isn’t established or is sporadic, resulting in difficulty waking up and falling asleep most days. When the circadian rhythm is, for lack of a better term, in rhythm, the time seems ample for productivity.

The common good can be looked at in a variety of lenses, one idea is doing something to help all people wholly. I look at it differently. The way one individual helps the common good wholly is them contributing to society, that means working a job, getting educated and creating a family. This may seem like a large step, but that is big picture thinking; it all doesn’t come at once. To make the most of your opportunities and get that good job, study hard and have strong relationships, the one common thread is time. You need as much time as possible and you have more than you think.

College students seem to do their best to stay up until the wee hours of the morning studying in hopes that the result is a 4.0 GPA and a job. In reality a simple change in habit can open up time that no one knew was there. Life gets in the way sometimes and it won’t always be perfect, but the incorporation of a sleep schedule holds a foundational key to doing your part for the common good.

*Adam Kraft is employed with TommieMedia as a reporter.