Personal Light Tracker.

Previous research has analyzed variations in sleep patterns, including number of hours slept, quality of sleep, and sleep-wake times, and found an association with cognitive impairments, health, and performance. However, few studies have considered or accurately quantified the effects of regular sleep patterns.

In a new study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), researchers objectively measured sleep and circadian rhythms, and the association to academic performance in college students, and found that irregular patterns of sleep and wakefulness correlated with lower grade point average, delayed sleep/wake timing, and delayed release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. The results were published in Scientific Reports on June 12, 2017.

You can find the artcile in Brigham and Women’s Hospital blog.

Sometimes it feels like the main takeaway from the last couple of decades of medical research is that we carry the burden of our genes with us throughout of lives and that, more than anything else, will bring us sickness or health – and only the miracles of new drugs or surgeries can shift our genetically determined fate.

Everyone’s done it. You’ve hit snooze, forgotten that all important class, and then panicked as you realise you’ve overslept. If this happens to you, you’re not alone. You can stop it happening though.