Between classes, jobs, friends and family commitments, many students sacrifice much needed rest to take care of obligations and to have a social life.

Some students forgo sleeping to balance work with their academic lives.

Jeremy Dawson, senior english major, is enrolled as a part-time student and works a full-time schedule between several on and off-campus jobs.

He said there are some students who give up sleep for nonacademic reasons.

“They’d rather have fun and [are] probably missing sleep for extracurricular [reasons] rather than studying,” said Dawson.

College life offers opportunities to have fun that doesn’t involve studying or working as part of the experience. Extracurricular activities can act as an enhancement to a student’s life and occasionally lead to a career or academic opportunities down the road.

However, students who give up sleep can experience sleep deprivation, and they can make mistakes because they are not operating at full speed.

Ruth Williams, communications major, occasionally gives up sleep to participate in other activities. She thinks if the reason is good enough, sleep can be sacrificed to do other activities.

“Last night, I got five hours of sleep,” said Williams. “I’m extremely tired right now.”

Williams is a full-time student who works part-time at two on-campus jobs. She said students need at least eight hours of sleep a night to function, and that students do not always get as much sleep as they should.

“They’re preoccupied with other things, most of us have to work and go to school,” said Williams.

A recent survey by MarketWatch.com said about 80 percent of students work at least part-time while attending classes. The survey included results about high school and college students who work while enrolled in school.

Emily Reiff, english major, is a student who balances work, school and a personal life.

Reiff works part-time as a server at a local restaurant. She has experienced firsthand the struggle of keeping up with life’s demands.

“I think there is a common belief that because we’re young, we can not sleep and get other things done that we feel is more important,” said Reiff.

Reiff has seen students with sleeping bags in the AIRC at night while she was studying.

The lack of sleep can affect a student’s life negatively if sleep is neglected too often.

“It’s true we’re capable of going with less sleep, doesn’t mean it’s healthy,” said Reiff.