A new study shows that college students with poor sleeping habits are much more likely to earn lower grades than those with healthier sleeping habits.
The study was done by researchers at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and published in the journal “SLEEP.”
According to the article, researchers found that poor sleeping patterns have a negative impact on students’ GPAs. They also found that among first year students, poor habits predicted students dropping or withdrawing from a course.
“It takes my students from the front of the line,” Kristie Daniel-DiGregorio, human development associate professor, said. “I can see a change in their personalities.”
In the article, researchers found that sleep deprivation had the same effects on students’ grades as binge drinking and smoking marijuana.
At EC, it’s not uncommon to see students rushing to classes with cups of coffee or energy drinks in their hands. Students nationwide are always on the go.
“I’m always worrying about family, home, and school,” Cyvanna Garcia, 20, nursing major, said. “My mind starts going on overdrive.”
Another study done by the University of Alabama showed that students were worried that sleep deprivation could hinder their ability to manage stress and concentrate at work.
According to the study, students felt that job stress and lack of time were contributing factors to them not getting enough sleep.
“It’s my schedule. I have to stay up,” Jesse Baker, 19, art major said. “I have no time to do anything.”
Scheduling can be another cause for students to feel overwhelmed and stressed, leading them to get less sleep.
In an article titled “Sleepy college students are worried about their stress level” published by the Huffington Post, the same author of the UA study said if students are unaware of how many hours they should be setting aside for studying outside the classroom, they can quickly mismanage their time and not set enough time for sleep.
“I have school every day,” Vanessa Suarez, 21, theater major, said. “I wake up early to do work I put off till (the) last minute.”
In both studies, researchers found that students with healthier sleeping habits tend to perform better in school and are overall healthier physically and psychologically.
“Effective ways to overcome being sleep deprived include having clear priorities about what actions are important to our goals and taking those actions before they become urgent,” Daniel-DiGregorio said.
Editor’s note: This is the first story in a three-part series about sleep deprivation and its effects.
