A study of over 55,000 US college students has found that poor-quality sleep affects students as much as binge-drinking or drug use, and is correlated with a drop in grades and an increased likelihood of dropping a course.
The study, carried out by the Center for College Sleep at Minnesota’s University of St Thomas, found that first year students were most likely to suffer poor grades due to sleep issues.
A significant factor on students’ grades
The study found that students who regularly slept well had a Grade Point Average that was 0.14 higher than students who constantly felt exhausted.
The only factors that had a bigger effect on students’ grades were mental health issues and learning disabilities.
