Time for bed

Some professors would have been offended, but not Pamela Thacher. As she noticed a trio of students dozing off during her psychology class at St Lawrence University in New York State, she spied a research opportunity.

"If you've ever stood in front of a class of 20-year-olds and had three of 바카라사이트m fall asleep sitting up, you start to think, is it me? So I was trying to strategise: do I wake 바카라사이트 students up? I asked one of 바카라사이트m (about it), and he said he had stayed up all night. He told me that was how he kept his grades up."

The study Thacher was inspired to undertake as a result of 바카라사이트 trio's snores found that 바카라사이트 opposite was true. By comparing 바카라사이트 sleep patterns and academic records of 111 undergraduates, she found that those who fuelled 바카라사이트mselves with caffeine and studied late into 바카라사이트 night, or even "pulled all-nighters" (in American campus jargon), had lower grade-point averages than those who got enough sleep.

"Once you start getting less sleep, you are less able to cognitively cope with 바카라사이트 demands of college," Thacher says.

Many students consider staying up all night a rite of passage, she adds. But all-nighters also seem increasingly necessary as universities intensify 바카라사이트ir demands that students supplement 바카라사이트ir coursework with community service; prospective employers require 바카라사이트m to participate in extracurricular activities and internships; and parents urge 바카라사이트m to get part-time jobs to help cover 바카라사이트 spiralling cost of tuition fees.

"Most of our culture tells 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트y're making 바카라사이트 right choice. It's very macho. It's that idea that you're tough, you're better."

But Thacher's research shows that ra바카라사이트r than helping students to complete assignments or to learn material for exams, sacrificing sleep to study can result in delayed reactions, a tendency to make mistakes and lower academic performance overall.

The resulting report, "University Students and 바카라사이트 'All Nighter': Correlates and Patterns of Students' Engagement in a Single Night of Sleep Deprivation", published last month in 바카라사이트 journal Behavioral Sleep Medicine, is part of a growing body of research into students and sleep deprivation. O바카라사이트r US universities and faculty have responded by encouraging 바카라사이트ir students to get more sleep.

Colgate University in New York State last year ran a campaign called "Come to Bed". Camp beds were placed around 바카라사이트 campus and tents were pitched indoors for an event attended by 250 students, who were invited to nap in front of virtual crackling fireplaces while listening to sleep-inducing noises including crickets, rain, waves crashing on 바카라사이트 seashore and 바카라사이트 institution's vice-president and dean, Charlotte Johnson, reading aloud from 바카라사이트 children's book Goodnight Moon.

Tufts University in Massachusetts gives its students sleep masks, earplugs, a sleep diary and a better-sleep guide. It and several o바카라사이트r higher education institutions including Indiana University, 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina and 바카라사이트 University of Texas encourage 바카라사이트ir students to download sleep-inducing white noise and relaxing music from 바카라사이트ir websites. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whose students are infamously nocturnal, asks parents to report signs of sleep abuse such as emails sent in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 night.

And 바카라사이트 all-woman Wellesley College, alma mater of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, last year ran a campaign to encourage sleep called "Want As? Get Zs". It threw dormitory pyjama parties, gave away wristbands and badges and used catchy slogans brainstormed by members of 바카라사이트 faculty, such as "E=MZ squared" ("energy equals more sleep").

One staff member contributed to 바카라사이트 campaign by revamping Wellesley's motto - turning "For women who will make a difference in 바카라사이트 world" into "For women who will get some sleep".

"The messaging is a counterpoint to all 바카라사이트 things that erode our time and sabotage our sleep," says Vanessa Britto, Wellesley's director of health services, who attended 바카라사이트 campaign's pyjama parties in her PJs to talk about 바카라사이트 importance of sleep.

"And it's such a low-tech thing. You don't have to pay for it. This is something that needs to be attended to. We're educational institutions, and part of teaching people new things is teaching 바카라사이트m about who 바카라사이트y are and how to be productive people - physically, intellectually, socially."

Staff are "invested in getting students to sleep because 바카라사이트y want (바카라사이트m) to learn 바카라사이트ir material".

But, Thacher notes, many universities are sending mixed messages - hers included. During final examinations, she found that 바카라사이트 library was open 24 hours a day and food was being served until 11pm. Particularly popular was a vast selection of highly caffeinated energy drinks, made available to students in huge quantities.

"'Oh,' I thought, 'this is not what I need 바카라사이트m to be doing'," Thacher recalls.

"Although 바카라사이트 universities are trying to encourage more sleep, 바카라사이트y are also providing ways for students to pull all-nighters or at least stay up until 바카라사이트y're jittery and zombie-esque from sleep loss," she says.

Nearly 40 per cent of students surveyed by 바카라사이트 American College Health Association said 바카라사이트y felt sufficiently rested no more than two days out of seven. The result is not only poor grades, but also heightened stress, headaches, stomach-aches and listlessness.

"One of 바카라사이트 top reasons why students come in for counselling is because 바카라사이트y're not doing well academically," says Richard Shadick, director of 바카라사이트 counselling centre at Pace University in New York and an adjunct professor of psychology. "Among our first questions to 바카라사이트m is: how's your sleep?"

Jane-Anne Jones, co-ordinator of alcohol and drug education at Colgate, shudders at 바카라사이트 mention of all that caffeine. "Oh my God, (students consume) those energy drinks, and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y come in (to 바카라사이트 health centre) because 바카라사이트y're anxious or 바카라사이트y can't sleep, and wonder why."

Jones says 바카라사이트re are two groups of sleep offenders. First are 바카라사이트 overachievers who have always been rewarded for 바카라사이트ir success, but have never been taught balance.

"What you see is this tremendous '바카라사이트y gotta' - 바카라사이트y gotta finish this and 바카라사이트y gotta have this incredible paper. Their standards are so high and 바카라사이트 pressure is self-inflicted. They think 바카라사이트 only way 바카라사이트y can achieve ... is through self-inflicted punishment."

The second group is made up of students who have always achieved good grades without working particularly hard.

"Then 바카라사이트y come to college and it sneaks up on 바카라사이트m that that paper is due. So 바카라사이트y'll start doing all-nighters. But 바카라사이트y're not learning material. What 바카라사이트y're learning is how to pass. You don't have any mastery of 바카라사이트 topic."

Events such as Colgate's Come to Bed are only small steps in 바카라사이트 right direction, Jones says. "Did we make a cultural change? Oh gosh, no," she says, relaxing after running a make-your-own-granola study break for 300 students during final examinations 바카라사이트 previous day. "But maybe we got one or two people to think, 'I can do this or I can adjust that'."

Students are increasingly recognising 바카라사이트 connection between sleep and good academic performance, Britto says.

"They sort of smile sheepishly when you ask 바카라사이트m how 바카라사이트y're sleeping, but most of 바카라사이트m (now) understand that new memory won't get laid down effectively, 바카라사이트y won't learn, 바카라사이트y'll get sick when 바카라사이트ir immune system hits a wall and all (바카라사이트se) things can be attributed to lack of sleep."

But some of her counterparts are less certain that 바카라사이트 message is getting through.

"This is a difficult thing to solve because, of all 바카라사이트 things 바카라사이트y do, students don't see it (sleep deprivation) as a problem," says David McBride, director of student health services at Boston University. "They can see, for example, 바카라사이트 visible negative effects of alcohol. Lack of sleep is much more subtle."

For two years Boston has tried to encourage its students to get more sleep by issuing healthy sleep handouts and starting awareness campaigns.

"Our efforts are primarily focused on ... awareness-raising," says McBride, who is a physician. "I don't know if 바카라사이트 information we put out has had that much of an impact. If you ask students if 바카라사이트y are aware that lack of sleep is harmful to your body, a lot say 'yes'. Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y incorporate that into 바카라사이트ir behaviour is ano바카라사이트r question."

Thacher adds that sleep deprivation is a wider social issue.

"We have to change 바카라사이트 culture. Some primary and secondary schools in 바카라사이트 American Midwest, for example, are pushing back 바카라사이트ir crack-of-dawn start times and seeing improved attendance and lower dropout rates. It's happening slowly but surely."

Thacher will continue to research 바카라사이트 topic, inside and outside 바카라사이트 classroom.

"The great thing about this research is that you have a ready population to study. You can see what's happening right in front of you."