Unhealthy study habits are too common at university -it’s time we look after ourselves

You know the deal. You'll be chatting to a friend about an upcoming deadline and they'll say something along the lines of "I've been in the library all night trying to finish it" and you both brush it off with a laugh. But time's up on these unhealthy habits. University culture lauds "crazy" work schedules and "hilarious" all nighters when they cause anxiety, depression and are generally an awful way to live.

Study drugs have little-known side effects

Study drugs such as Modafinil and Ritalin have increased in use. Around 35% of students nationally use study drugs, with Economics students being the worst offenders. Most of these are prescription drugs used to combat ADHD and other disorders, and therefore have unknown side effects. But still, some students credit their high grades to these drugs, encouraging other students to take them.

One third year History and Politics student gave this account: "I got the date of an essay wrong and ended up realising I had to write 3000 words at 10:30 the night before it was due. I took a Modafinil and a strong Ritalin. I ended up making memes for my friends and writing paragraphs to my Dad on why I was proud of him. I then wrote 4500 words of incorrect syntax and off topic rubbish before I realised I couldn’t submit half an hour before the deadline. My jaw went haywire and ached for four to five days and it took about 16 hours after taking the Ritalin for my heart rate to dip below 140."

Lots of these drugs shouldn't be taken by people with heart problems, anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses – which affect many at university already. Some, like Modafinil, also shouldn't be taken on birth control. But who does their research beforehand? Overdoses of study drugs can also cause anxiety, fainting, hallucinations and worse. The lack of awareness about the potential risks of study drugs creates an incredibly unhealthy environment.

All-nighters should not be a regular occurrence

Let's be real. I've done an all-nighter, you've done an all-nighter – it happens to the best of us. The problem comes when this becomes so regular it constantly affects your health. With stories of students getting a first in a dissertation done in 36 hours, all-nighters are seen as the norm at university, and a rite of passage. I distinctly remember my RA in first year halls telling me that he doesn't attend any lectures all semester, then does an all nighter for each assignment. This behaviour is run of the mill at university, and whilst it may be okay once or twice, doing this multiple times a semester is just unhealthy.

The first and last all-nighter I will ever subject myself to

One third year Landscape Architecture student spent five days living in the library last semester to finish an assignment. She told us this about her week: "I have one thing to submit for all my classes, and for my essay class. Last semester before my essay was due, I spent the entire week working on it. I literally only left the library to go home and shower and change so I could feel slightly refreshed. I sat in one spot in the library for the week, and worked straight through. It was basically a week where I got maybe 10 hours of sleep, napped in whack ass places at whack ass times, and basically only ate pomegranate seeds.

"It's totally soul destroying, and I know it's super horrible and unhealthy -so I'm trying to do it less. I do it partly because of not having the best time management and also knowing that if I get super into my work I just won't stop, and will get into a really good flow, and the work will be good. I want to use as many hours as I can and not waste any. I care more about the work I'm producing than my health for a week. People have to remind me to eat and get out of that one spot."

This behaviour is not just one person – so many at university sacrifice their health for grades and assignments. The physical and mental exhaustion from all-nighters shouldn't be so common. Mental health is important enough that no one should subject themselves to the effects of an all-nighter.

Attend your lectures!

Trust me, I've been there. Hungover, only got to sleep at 4am, have a 9am lecture – so you sleep through it. That's one thing – but not attending a single one of your lectures is not okay. For humanities students, lectures aren't recorded, so you end up relying on friends for notes – and as the person who is always giving out notes, it become tedious. No one wants to rely on their friends and course mates constantly for lecture notes, and when you have a 2pm lecture, there's really no excuse for not attending.

Blurry, hungover, but still at our 9am!

All I ask is that you look after yourselves. Doing all-nighters, taking study drugs, and not attending lectures may seem fine, but these habits affect your health and education in ways not immediately recognisable. And if one of your friends is regularly doing these – ask them how they are.