Studies show sleep deprivation can cause a multitude of health conditions: weakened immune system, irritability, headaches, hand tremors and so on. I don’t doubt that, and with this being midterms week, I’m sure thousands of college students have been feeling a little sleep deprive as well.

But an unsteady hand is a small price to pay for the wondrous experience of an all-nighter.

In the midst of page counts, exams and piles of notes, there’s something truly special that comes from the procrastination in those long nights before your 9:30 a.m. exam: camaraderie.

Friendships blossom over the concoction of stress and caffeine — it’s like an academic bottle of alcohol. Stories are exchanged, cracked-out hallucinations are shared and a memory is made. All-nighters are right up there with Thursday nights at Chuck’s Cafe and rounds of beer ball at my favorite Livingston Street house all holding a special place alongside my most cherished SU memories.

I’ll never forget one all-nighter in particular.

It was spring semester 2011, the Sunday on the eve of what would become the most awful finals week I hope to ever experience. Knock on wood — one more to go. It was about 9 p.m. when I received a text from my ginger-haired friend that said four simple words: ‘We caught bin Laden.’ I relayed the not-yet-confirmed news to my tablemates — a mixture of acquaintances and mutual buddies — or final friends, as I prefer to call them.

We all immediately logged on to Twitter — social media is, of course, the definitive breaking news source — and watched as the hashtags began to trend and the Tweets piled on top of one another. At first, the Tweets consisted of desires for validation, questions of veracity and that guy in Pakistan, who unknowingly live-tweeted the initial onset.

It was happening at other tables, too. Phones buzzed and textbooks were shoved aside. You could sense the feeling something was happening, something exciting and conclusive. A moment was happening.

Then at 11:35 p.m. President Barack Obama addressed the nation on the death of Osama bin Laden. Chills ran up my back. Here it was: The moment you learn of a historical event and it’s the one where ‘You’ll always remember exactly where you were, what you were doing and who you were with when it happened.’

When 9/11 happened, I was sitting in my sixth-grade classroom. Our teachers wouldn’t tell us anything, but recess was canceled and a boy in my class told us all Japan was attacking us again.

But this was an elated moment. I’ll always remember that I was on the first floor of Bird Library, on the eve of the most awful finals week I hope to ever experience with a table full of final friends. I don’t think I’ve seen some of them since.

And the moment wasn’t over. Shortly after the president finished delivering his address — which had been streaming live on every visible laptop — a slow clap ensued, and the rest of Bird joined in.

Oh, the magic of it all. Magic I would have never experienced had it not been for my all-nighter.

So don’t shy away from late-night study sessions or all-nighters — the stress definitely never ends, but college will. Take the opportunity to share it with some new friends and maybe you’ll get to experience a momentous occasion as well.

Call it a wave of senior nostalgia. I haven’t slept in two days, so take it as you may. If you’ll be suiting up for all-nighter tonight, enjoy. If not, I’ll see you at Flip night.

Lauren Tousignant is a senior communications and rhetorical studies and writing major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at letousig@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @lauT1.    

Published on March 6, 2012 at 12:00 pm