Two St. Thomas professors conducted a study revealing direct connections between the amount of sleep students get and their academic success.

In fall 2013, psychology professor Roxanne Prichard and economics professor Monica Hartmann reviewed survey data collected since 2009 by the American College Health Association in order to create a comprehensive report about the effects of sleep on academic success. After months of research, they concluded that getting a good night’s rest is essential to achieving good grades.

“It’s kind of this Catch-22 where students are too stressed to sleep, but not sleeping makes them more stressed,” Prichard said. “So when they’re trying to go to bed after they’ve had a lot of caffeine to keep them up through the day, it’s hard to relax and go to sleep.”

Sophomore Lauren Williams said she struggled with sleep problems during the school year.

“I didn’t have a problem falling asleep, but I did have a problem finding time to sleep,” Williams said. “I would wake up really tired. I would go to bed really late, because I had to do my homework. I found myself almost delusional because I didn’t have enough sleep.”

Poor sleep can have serious lasting effects, including a weakened immune system to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to Prichard.

“I get sick a lot more when I’m in school and not getting sleep. It all adds up, the stress and everything,” Williams said. “In the summer, I don’t get sick because I’m sleeping.”

Besides physical health problems, Hartmann said lack of sleep also takes a psychological toll.

“It’s the first time you’re totally independent with no mom or dad telling you when to go to bed,” Hartmann said. “No sleep makes anxiety worse and depression worse.”

According to Prichard and Hartmann, some of the main reasons for poor sleep are caffeine consumption, poor time management and entertainment.

“I think it’s being viewed as a part of college culture that you can’t really change,” Prichard said. “People haven’t really looked at it in the same systematic way that we look at problematic drinking. Think of all the messages you get about public safety and washing your hands, but one of the real silent epidemics is poor sleep.”

According to Hartmann and Prichard, even though there is a culture around not sleeping in college, it is completely avoidable. The solution lies in raising awareness and individual lifestyle choices. At St. Thomas, Prichard is involved in the “sleep squad” program with the Wellness Center in an effort to inform students of the importance of sleep.

“These are individual choices that people make. Lots of students don’t silence their phones and have bleeps all night. A lot of students have caffeine after like 4 or 5 p.m., and that stops your brain from having the ability to go into that deep, deep restful sleep,” Prichard said. “There’s a ton of small changes that could happen.”

According to Williams, a pre-med student, it’s easier said than done. She said most of her sleep problems were from a heavy course load.

“I think maybe the school should look at how much time they’re taking away from students,” Williams said. “If you don’t spend time on your homework, you can get sleep, but then your grades wouldn’t be so good. You have to choose one or the other.”

Although students often blame coursework for poor sleep, Hartmann said the data proves otherwise.

“It’s what people say, but if you look at the data, the sleep deprived people aren’t using their time very efficiently, so small tasks seem to take much longer,” Hartmann said. “I know it’s not very fun to hear.”

Prichard said the best way to encourage better sleep, and in turn a more successful education, is through a cultural change on campus.

“In some ways I feel like environmental factors are the way to make real change,” Prichard said. “We need to discourage caffeine consumption. Professors could set the time limit for when assignments are due for 8 p.m. rather than midnight, because that way you don’t stay up by the deadline to do it.”

Simeon Lancaster can be reached at lanc4637@stthomas.edu.