MIT prof finds that adding an hour of sleep can bump students up a letter grade | The Times of Israel

MIT prof finds that adding an hour of sleep can bump students up a letter grade | The Times of Israel

A Fitbit-based study attempting to show a link between exercise and better grades showed something entirely different:

"When Grossman and his colleagues began looking at the data again, they found that students who are consistent in their sleep habits, turn in before 2 a.m., and average around seven hours of sleep, are more academically productive.

"Essentially there was a straight-line relationship between the average amount of sleep a student got and the marks they received on the 11 quizzes, three midterms, and final exam, with the grades ranging from A's to C's, according to the study which was recently published in the 'Science of Learning.'...

"In fact, students who consistently added one extra hour of sleep a night jumped a full letter grade, from a B to an A, said Dr. Kana Okano, first author on the paper and Grossman's research assistant....

"Consistency is key.

"Students don't do better by getting more sleep the night before a quiz or exam. They don't do better if they try to sleep in an extra few hours on a Saturday or Sunday morning. They must get consistent good sleep during the entire learning process, she said.

"Additionally, the researchers discovered that 2 a.m. appears to be a magic hour of sorts. Students who went to bed after that time, even if they got 7 hours of sleep, had lower class scores, Grossman said."