Students who pull all-nighters may be putting their academic futures at risk.

Conveniently timed with this year’s daylight savings spring forward, March is National Sleep Awareness Month and experts want people, especially students, to know the consequences of not getting enough sleep.

Students who get at least nine hours of sleep a night have higher grade point averages than students who get less that six hours according to a 2014 study titled “Causes and Consequences of Sleepiness Among College Students.”

The study found that staying up all night gets in the way of learning and performance, and the effects can remain even after four days of recovery.

Though it may seem like good sense not to stay up all night, many students do it anyway.

Stephen Freitas, holding a Monster energy drink in his hand, said he stays up all night “at least three or four times a week.” The communications major insists the lack of sleep doesn’t affect his grades though.

Other students are more receptive to the idea that staying up all night might be bad for their academic performance.

Logan Freida, a marketing major, admitted to staying up all night occasionally due to insomnia. When asked if he thought the all nighters negatively affected his grades, he looked thoughtful and said, “Yeah … maybe.”

What’s keeping students up at night varies, but research indicates a common barrier to a good night’s sleep is using electronics close to bedtime.

Turning off electronics such as cell phones, laptops and television may help students fall asleep and stay asleep, yet close to 70 percent of young adults go to sleep with their cell phones on according to the 2014 study.

Some students, like Kaydee Peterson, say they need their electronics in order fall asleep at all. “I fall asleep playing solitaire every night,” Peterson said.

Freitas agreed and insisted he might not get any sleep if it weren’t for television. “If I don’t watch TV, I can’t fall asleep at all,” said Freitas.

Over half of surveyed college students said they leave their cell phones on all night, and the majority report rarely getting a good night’s sleep and often wake up still feeling tired.

Computer science major Justin Mangnall said he gets about four hours of sleep each night, and like others, he doesn’t think his cell phone has anything to do with it. “It’s not my phone,” said Mangnall. “It’s not being able to stop thinking.”

In contrast, Drew Simmons is a communications major who said he manages to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. He said he doesn’t use electronics before bed, he isn’t even really tempted.

Simmons said, “I have a flip phone so it’s just not a problem.”