Stop Romanticizing Burnout

During exam season, college students don’t sleep. They “nap.” After getting just two or three hours of rest, they head straight back to the library, their laptops, and the group project due at 9 a.m. For many students, surviving on five or six hours of sleep has become a familiar routine. Conversations about sleepless nights have become increasingly common across campus.

These discussions have become a casual way for students to relate to one another. When everyone around them is exhausted, sharing their own struggles creates a sense of belonging, as though they are all going through the same experience. In an environment where exhaustion has become the norm, getting a full eight hours of sleep can almost feel unusual.

That’s exactly what makes it dangerous. Somewhere along the way, being tired stopped being a problem and became a shared language. “I got three hours of sleep” doesn’t sound like a warning anymore. It’s proof that you’re serious.