There is nothing more precious to Penn State students than a good night's sleep -- that is, until finals week.

Despite the importance placed on finals, many students are found to have a distinct disadvantage come test time because of awkwardly scheduled test times that disrupt their normal sleeping patterns.

Sleep is very important for the human body to perform at its best, said Mary Ann Knapp, clinical social worker for the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

"Most people need at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night to function optimally," Knapp said in an email.

Dave Cook (junior-communication arts and sciences) had an 8 a.m. final exam despite a schedule that permitted him to normally wake up at noon. He said the early exam made it difficult to wake up.

"[Your] regular eight hours gets cut to five," he said, referring to having early finals.

Cook said to ensure that he gets up for his early finals he would "stay up all night, study, and go."

Knapp said a sudden change to a person's sleep patterns could really disturb the overall quality of sleep.

"If you consistently ignore your body's preference for regularity, the sleep cycle can become disturbed and it may be difficult to return to normal," she said. "In this case, you might have trouble sleeping at night and then be unable to wake up in the morning for classes."

Zach Miller has also had an 8 a.m. exam and said he began adjusting his sleep schedule days in advance to wake more easily the morning of the exam.

"You definitely want to prepare a few days before," he said.

Miller said he has had friends that have slept past the beginning of their finals and have had less time to take their tests.

Kerry Farrell (junior-communications) said changing her sleeping patterns becomes very hard once she gets into a rhythm, and it becomes hard for her to get used to a new time.

Cook had the same problem trying to change his own sleeping patterns.

"I would try to sleep earlier, but [I] can't," he said.

Cook said he thinks students who take early classes should be assigned early exams, a system he said would be fair for all students.

Knapp said sleep deprivation can lead to very serious side effects that many people do not even realize they have.

"Some people may experience visual hallucinations, illusions or other sensory distortions when they are intensely sleep deprived," she said.

"They may not remember conversations or activities as they normally would. This is most likely to happen after multiple days of sleep deprivation," she added.