Researcher Joel Anderson poses an important question: “why is it that people fail to do what they know is good for them to do?”. Often individuals procrastinate undesirable tasks (such as doing homework), but sleep is usually desirable since it makes us feel good. Therefore, why do we put it off if we know it results in negative consequences? An article by David M. Schnyer, Dasa Zeithamova, and Victoria Williams titled “Decision-Making Under Conditions of Sleep Deprivation: Cognitive and Neural Consequences” discovers that sleep deprivation inhibits individuals from making proper integrative decisions (40). That discovery is totally accurate and I can say that with pure confidence because I’ve experienced it. On days in which I get more sleep, I’m more clear-headed and more able to make conscious and competent decisions. So, if I’m being honest here, I’m not totally sure how to answer Anderson’s question. Because if I knew, I wouldn’t be sitting here working on this feature story at 3AM. In all seriousness though, his question has been haunting me. I love sleep. I’m like a sloth. If it were up to me, I would sleep all hours of the day. So why do I resort to staying up all night and depriving myself of something I love? If you asked me, it all comes back to the same explanation: self-sabotage. I know I should sleep. I know I’ll hate myself the next morning for clicking “play next episode” on my Netflix account at 2AM… but I do it anyways. It’s almost as if I can’t help myself. It almost feels like a subconscious effort. By binge-watching TV at 3AM, I’m not actively thinking “I’m watching TV to make myself miserable and exhausted tomorrow”. It just happens. And quite frankly, I’m sick of it.

Works Cited

Friedman, Lauren F. “This Is Why You Stay Awake All Night When You Know You Need To Sleep.”Business Insider,18 June 2014.

Schnyer, David M., et al. “Decision-Making Under Conditions of Sleep Deprivation: Cognitive and Neural Consequences.” Military Psychology (Taylor & Francis Ltd), vol. 21, Jan. 2009, pp. 36–45. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/08995600802554607.