Very few college students nowadays get the prescribed eight or so hours of sleep necessary to fully function. It is not necessarily because they’re going out to parties or procrastinating — it just so happens that sometimes our schedules demand that we stay up ’til the early morning in order to finish work.

So, the question I pose: What becomes of these several missed hours of sleep? How do we compensate for our physical fatigue when getting some much-needed rest the night before isn’t an option?

I’ve discovered the answer. There are two such phyla of sleepless individuals: the class-sleeper and the caffeine-fiend.

Having an 8:30 a.m. class, I have experienced first-hand the temptation to substitute a good night’s sleep for a cup o’ joe.

However, many people underestimate coffee’s harmful effects. Few people consider coffee for what it is: a powerful stimulant … also known as a drug. Yes, folks, a drug. If there is any doubt in your mind that it should be classified as such, I suggest you visit the coffee kiosk or a campus beverage dispenser on a weekday morning. Take note of the wide eyed caffeine junkie, anxiously fumbling change in their palms in need of their next fix. Please, just say no to beggars outside the library. If you give them change, you’re only endorsing their addiction.

A cup of organic roast or a latte may seem innocent, but it’s only a matter of time before the abuser reaches critical mass. Symptoms are heart palpitations, heightened anxiety and restlessness. The signs are unmistakably apparent and annoying. There is nothing more distracting than someone sitting in the seat next to you, bobbing up and down. Should you find yourself stuck next to an abuser, just remember to take it easy and take deep breaths. These same individuals, in an hour’s time, will be passed out on their desks like babies (and then it will only be their snoring that’s annoying).