Do you want to graduate with flying colors and have better college grades? Then take a look at your sleeping patterns.This is what a new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers has found.
Published in the Science of Learning, the “Better sleep habits lead to better college grades” study found that sleeping habits directly affect the grades a student scores in the exams.
Researchers compiled their findings after experimenting with 100 MIT engineering class students who were given Fitbits to monitor their physical activity.
Surprisingly, the study found no correlation between physical exercise and the academic performance of students as the students who took part in fitness classes performed as good as those who didn’t take such classes.
However, the cutoff time for bed, instead of the amount of sleep, is a critical factor in student performances. If students go to bed at 10, or at 12, or at 1, their performance remains the same, but when the bedtime crosses 2 am, the performance starts to come down.
“The fact that there was a correlation between sleep and performance wasn’t surprising, but the extent of it was,” said professor Jeffrey Grossman.
“Of course, this correlation can’t absolutely prove that sleep was the determining factor in the students’ performance, as opposed to some other influence that might have affected both sleep and grades. But the results are a strong indication that sleep “really, really matters,” he adds.
For students, who believe in having a good night sleep before a major test, the study indicates that it doesn’t improve overall performance. Instead, those who sleep well during the days when they are studying for the test showed much improvement in grades.
Many U.S. Teens Consider Grades a Major Source of Pressure [Survey]