My eyes started to flutter with a heavy weight as the clock kept ticking next to me. I scribbled as fast as I could, trying to complete a few more problems before I went to bed so that I’d be ready for my test the next day. My mom would come into my room if she knew that I was up late, and she would tell me that it wasn’t worth studying unless I went to bed soon. But, I always would have that small thought in the back of my head — if I stayed awake just a little longer, I would be more prepared. Little did I know, those few minutes to even hours that I used to spend studying would be for nothing if I didn’t get enough sleep.

If you aren’t aware of the current or past hours of the library, UC Santa Barbara’s Library used to be open 24/7. However, on Sept. 25, the UCSB Library announced cuts would be made to library hours due to “significant, permanent budget reductions,” moving hours of operation to being from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.

On Oct. 24, 2025, however, the hours were extended to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. for UCSB students and faculty only from Sunday to Thursday. In addition, the Associated Students Senate has allocated funds to keep the library open 24/7 during finals week and “dead week,” probably the most important time to have that resource.

At the moment, I’ve seen a lot of uproar coming from students on social media about the updated hours of the library this year. The hours went from being open 24 hours to reduced hours, to revised extended hours, and it seems that with these changes, the school is still not completely settled on how long the library should stay open. Though I sometimes do really need a late-night study sesh, reduced library hours could be a good idea, as it will potentially help people prioritize sleep over late-night studying. The extra extension to 3 a.m. should be plenty of time for students, as it makes sure that people are not out studying all through the night. Not only that, but it could also decrease procrastination for getting work done. 

We often don’t prioritize sleep enough as we should. Whether it comes to being up late and studying, or even staying up to just watch a movie, that time taken out of your sleep schedule impacts you. Sleep helps your brain form or maintain pathways that allow you to create new memories and learn, but when you don’t have enough sleep, it’s a lot harder to concentrate and form quick responses. This essentially means you lose some key skills when you go about your day on minimal sleep, especially while in school. 

There have been many different studies done to see the connection between sleep and academic performance, including the study: “Should I study or should I go (to sleep)?…” It explored how the number of hours spent sleeping the night before a test influences a student’s academic performance. The results from both samples in this study indicate that sleep duration relates to test scores. In general, it has been found that sleep is also related to a student’s mental health, overall affecting their well-being. 

Comparably, psychologists at Kent State University Marissa K Hartwig and John Dunlosky, used a survey to find if “self-testing and scheduling are related to achievement.” They found that more than half of the participants often cram all their studying in a short period of time right before the test, usually forgoing sleep with generally no benefits to how they performed on the test.

I am no stranger to giving up sleep in order to study more for a test. However, I have learned that when I do this, the next day I have a harder time focusing and even remembering what I had learned the night before. Now, I’ll always be an advocate for briefly looking over materials before bed — a nice little skim I can sleep on — a method ensuring that I’ll have a full night’s rest. 

Unless it’s a certain instance of knowing absolutely nothing for the test the next day, which can happen every once in a while, I think that putting sleep first will overall be the most beneficial choice for students. It may be hard with the thoughts of “if I just stay up a little longer,” but when students stay up just a little longer, they are potentially doing more harm than good.

Because of this important emphasis on sleep, I believe that the new library hours are perfect. Even if you do have to stay up studying later or want to wake up earlier to study, I think that 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. should be plenty of time for you to get your studying done, while also getting more rest. The library being open 24/7 promotes the idea of studying all throughout the night if needed, but does not send the message that students should be prioritizing their sleep over study. 

Not only this, but I am probably not the only victim to the constant procrastination of homework and studies; I am even writing this right now instead of working on my sociology reading. However, closing the library earlier will help students, including myself, make sure that they start working earlier so students don’t end up without time to work. An earlier closing would subconsciously tell me: “Okay, maybe it’s time for bed,” which is overall beneficial for two reasons — I hold off on procrastinating and I can get to bed earlier. 

When the library is open all day and night, it allows students to procrastinate until the last possible minute. That can be okay on occasion, but it very quickly can become a recurrence and a habit. In an article from Deconstructing Stigma, “Why We Procrastinate: The Psychology of Putting Things Off,” it talks about how people often procrastinate because they think it will make them feel better in the short term. However, it often actually gives a person more stress in the long term. “Should I study or should I go (to sleep)?” also highlights how people aren’t getting enough sleep not only because they’re staying up late studying, but also from stress. So, imagine the added stress of having both procrastinated studying for a test, and then also having a little amount of time to sleep. Hopefully, having to go home to rest earlier, because the library is closed, will put an end to both of these problems. 

Many people may argue against the library closing because those late-night study sessions can feel beneficial. But my question is, is it actually benefiting you? The occasional late-night study may be okay, but when you have that option every day it can become a bad habit. Full 24/7 access to the library during finals is probably the most important time in the school year to have it, and that hasn’t been taken away. All in all, these new hours are still convenient, if not even more beneficial in the long run.

Vida Wisham loves a nice long snooze the night before an exam and will not be caught in the library past 1 a.m.

A version of this article appeared on p. 14 of the January 15, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.