The study, authored by Kendry Clay, of the University of North Texas, focused on 824 undergraduate students who were enrolled in psychology classes. The subjects completed a health survey which included questions regarding sleep habits and aspects of daytime functioning.
According to the results, college students who are evening types had lower GPAs, while those who are morning types had higher GPAs.
“The finding that college students who are evening types have lower GPAs is a very important finding, sure to make its way into undergraduate psychology texts in the near future, along with the research showing that memory is improved by sleep,” said Daniel J. Taylor, PhD, of the University of North Texas, Ms. Clay’s faculty mentor, a co-author, and who developed the concept for this study. “Further, these results suggest that it might be possible to improve academic performance by using chronotherapy to help students entrain their biological clock to become more morning types.”-American Academy of Sleep Medicine
