University students who start classes later in the day tend to have lower grades and a propensity to binge drink, compared to their early-rising counterparts, according to a recent study published in Maclean’s magazine.
Researchers at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. conducted the study over a period of one week using 253 students from the school. The students were asked to keep a sleep diary throughout the week, fill out questionnaires regarding sleep, school, and substance use, as well as perform a battery of cognitive tests, according to Yahoo! Health.
The findings did point out that students with later class times were not well rested, had slightly lower grade point averages, and were more inclined to use alcohol heavily. Sleep patterns were offset by the effects of the alcohol, depriving the subjects of quality, restful sleep, the study noted.
“Alcohol can mean that sleep is no longer refreshing, because the brain can’t perform the normal restorative job it does during the night,” said Jessica Alexander of the Sleep Council, a British group that publishes information about sleep and health, in a February 2010 article in Britain’s The Sunday Times.
Students’ sleep patterns vary, with some still organized around their partying habits.
“I feel my sleep patterns are fairly normal,” said Brad Watson, a second-year English major.
“Usually, I will go to sleep at around one in the morning, but if I have [something to do], I will wake up around 10,” said Watson. “I always plan it around my school schedule first.”
“I constantly felt like I needed a nap during the day to get [a restful sleep]” said Luke Barclay, second year psychology student.
Barclay said most of his classes started around 1 p.m. Although Barclay was not one to go out and party during the week, he did organize his schedule to ensure a longer weekend.
“I had one tutorial at 10 in the morning, and I even found that too early . . . I made sure I had Friday off when picking courses, as it seemed nice to have a longer weekend.”
