The pressures of Dead Week and Finals Week can mean caffeine, stress and little sleep.

But students might be better off avoiding caffeine and getting a full night’s rest, no matter how many finals they have in the morning, say university employees and medical experts.

“The more rested you are for final exams, the better off you are,” said Frank Schabel, coordinator of health studies.

Schabel said students especially need to get enough rest to achieve Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. If a student does not get any REM sleep they will feel “groggy and sleep-deprived,” he said.

A report by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) said 19-year-olds get about seven hours of sleep on average but should be getting 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep each night.

Insufficient sleep can have serious effects, according to the NSF.

The report claimed many lacking sleep are drowsy while driving. Drivers under the age of 25 are involved in more than half of car crashes involving a driver falling asleep, according to the study.

Dr. Seldon Spencer, medical director for the Mary Greeley Sleep Disorders Center, said performance, whether physical or mental, is typically worse with sleep deprivation.

The effects are like those of drinking alcohol, he said.

A student may feel achy or sore if they suffer from sleep deprivation, Spencer said.

The report by the NSF also mentions an effect on emotions when a student is sleep-deprived. According to the report, adolescents who have insufficient sleep have difficulty controlling their emotions and often feel sad, angry or depressed.

Jennifer Swaim, wellness counselor for Thielen Student Health Center, agreed.

She said there are emotional side effects to sleep deprivation. For example, the less sleep a student has had, the more likely they are to become depressed. There is also the increased likelihood of getting physically sick, she said.

According to the report, grades might also suffer with sleep deprivation. High school students who report having academic problems and below a “C” average report getting less sleep than their higher-achieving peers. The report said a causal relationship has not been determined.

Swaim said when students do not get enough sleep, they might have to study longer because losing sleep decreases the ability to focus. The level of stress on a student is doubled to include the psychological stress from finals and studying and the biological stress from sleep deprivation.

Caffeine and over-the-counter drugs can mitigate the effects of sleep deprivation, Spencer said.

Rather than using stimulants, Spencer and other professionals advise maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.

Spencer said to try and maintain the same hour of waking so the body knows when to wake up.

“Biologically, having a fixed hour of waking is the most healthy thing you can do for sleep,” he said.

Swaim said students need to find a balance between getting too much and starving themselves of sleep.

The best thing a student can do for themselves at finals time is to get enough sleep, Swaim said.

“Most students tend to overdo it and would benefit from being more moderate in terms of sleep deprivation.”