Mar 15, 2014 09:46 AM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Many Ivy League students may not be getting enough sleep on an average night and the consequences could be very serious.

Speaking with the Huffington Post, a University of Pennsylvania senior said staying up through the night was even a way to prove one's self academically. He said staying up studying until five in the morning was considered a sign of hard work.

"People made it a contest on how much they could endure," said Ernest Owens. "Things like withdrawing ourselves from sleep was a way to build our endurance and our strength as academics."

UPenn has had multiple suicides on campus in the past few months, but while lack of sleep may not be the root cause, a culture of overworking may very well be. UPenn recently announced a task force to address anxiety and depression on campus. Both conditions are made worse by a lack of sleep.

"The Idea of being a superhuman - it's part of the Ivy League mentality that we are a cut above the rest," said Owens. "We do the extra hours that nobody else does, to do extraordinary things, which is absolutely not true, it's a myth."

Princeton is another elite school addressing the importance of sleep for its students. However, Zach Ogle, a junior at Princeton, told the Huffington Post that lack of sleep is just a general conversation topic.

"Part of it is commiseration and part of it is typical type-A one-upmanship," said Zach Ogle. "If somebody says 'I only slept 5 hours I am exhausted,' then someone else will say 'Well, I only sleep 3 hours.' It's a general idea of my life is worse or my story is a little bit better."

Previous studies have repeatedly warned of the dangers facing young people who do not get enough sleep. On average, college-age people need at least eight hours of sleep at night with the best time for restful sleep coming between 10 p.m. and two a.m.

As a result of fighting the urge to hit the hay, many students turn to energy drinks to stay awake, which can be very unhealthy and damaging long-term.

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