While the amount of homework and stress climbs for students nationwide this week, the amount of sleep they get will inversely decline.

As final exams approach every semester, a large amount of students pull "all-nighters," and the practice of staying up all night studying for exams and writing papers is seen as a college tradition.

Though the practice is common late in every semester, all-nighters may not be the most effective way to prepare for finals.

Rob Sepich, a Stress Management counselor for University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin, said refraining from sleep can actually be counterproductive.

"All-nighters are not good for students, especially with respect to memory," he said.

Citing a 2004 study at the University of Luebeck in Germany, Sepich noted sleep deprived people are three times less likely to solve problems than people with a full night's rest.

"Eight hours is preferable, but when students can't get that much, as little as five hours is acceptable," Sepich said. "Even a minimal amount of sleep is better than none."

The study also noted sleep contributes greatly to creative thought, whereas conversely, sleep deprivation prevents the mind from working as well as it should.

But students should not just worry about the short-term effects.

Sepich added long-term sleep deprivation has been linked to insomnia, hypersomnia — sleeping too much — and a shorter lifespan.

But according to Sepich, the long-term consequences do not pose a large threat for students.

UW sophomore Lydia Grundahl said pulling all-nighters are a necessity.

"I usually pull most of my all-nighters around finals week," she said, adding it is not much of a problem for her to stay awake all night. "If I can make it to 2 or 3 a.m., I usually don't have much of a problem making it to the morning."

Working with others and drinking coffee also help her get through the night, she noted.

Sepich said while the body can "bounce back quickly" from sleep deprivation, a lack of sleep can affect performance when needed.

"[T]he body sometimes takes over at inopportune times," he said. "Students have been known to fall asleep during their exams."

Grundahl said she does experience some of the problems Sepich described.

"I'm really tired the next day and I sometimes feel like I'll fall asleep during the exam," she said. "But once I get going, it isn't much of a problem."

And after the exam ends, Grundahl usually returns home and "crashes immediately."

But when receiving the proper amount of sleep, Grundahl felt her body was in better shape; Sepich recommended this approach as well.

"We consolidate memory when we sleep," Sepich said. "Getting at least a few hours of sleep prior to an exam helps immensely with retaining information learned while studying."

Likewise, Sepich said the information students try to remember during all-nighters is extremely difficult to retain.

"Students usually won't retain what they learn anyway, so they're better off getting some sleep," he said.

Despite Sepich's advice, Grundahl assured that she and other time-constrained students will continue to rely on all-nighters as a staple for finals week.