College Students- Late Class Start Times Leads to Late Nights Out

  

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Parents, you may want to force your college kids to sign up for that 8 am English class.

A new research study, presented at SLEEP 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota this week, found that college students who schedule classes later in the day are more likely to fit in a full night's rest- as well as a full night out on the town.

The study, conducted by two St. Lawrence psychologists, surveyed 253 students on a variety of factors associated with mood, sleep and academic performance.

According to the study, later class start times may lead college students to binge drink- driving down their GPA.

“Later class start times predicted more drinking, more sleep time and modestly lower grades, overall,” said the study’s co-lead author Pamela Thacher, associate professor of psychology at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. 

While students starting class later in the day logged more sleep than their morning bird counterparts, they did not feel well rested. The students reported more daytime sleepiness and earned slighly lower GPAs. Students who stayed up late and slept more in the day also reported drinking more than those springing out of bed at 8 a.m.

Worried your 3rd grade night owl's tiredness may be due to a secret life of partying? The study also pointed out previous studies of elementary and high school students that found later start times improve attendance, mood, and driving safety.