Early birds score better grades in college

Early birds score better grades in college
Tuesday June 10 2008 17:19 IST ANI

WASHINGTON: If you want to score well in college, just get out of bed earlier, for a new study suggests that morningness is a predictor of better grades in college.

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.

Results showed that 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," he added.

The findings will be presented at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).