Behavioral Grooves Podcast

Why Sleep Is Vital for Academic Success | David Creswell PhD

Oct 30, 2023

Sleep researcher David Creswell discusses the correlation between sleep duration and academic success, specifically in college students. Getting less than 6 hours of sleep may be harmful. Hosts Kurt and Tim share their sleep patterns and strategies to improve insomnia.

50:17

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David Creswell

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Quick takeaways

Consistently getting seven or more hours of sleep per night predicts higher college GPA.

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can improve sleep quality and overall well-being.

Deep dives

The Impact of Sleep on College Students' GPA

A study conducted by David Creswell and his colleagues examined the relationship between sleep duration and college students' grade point averages (GPA). The study tracked the sleep patterns of first-year college students using Fitbits and found that the amount of nightly sleep was a significant predictor of GPA. Students who consistently slept for seven or more hours per night had higher GPAs compared to those who slept for fewer hours. The study also highlighted the importance of establishing healthy sleep routines early in the academic term for long-term academic success.

Introduction

2min

The Impact of Sleep on Academic Performance

2min

Introduction to Sleep and Conversation with David Creswell

2min

Sleep Deprivation and Academic Success in College Students

25min

Challenges of Smartphone Use Before Sleep and Music Preferences

2min

Casual Conversation about Music and Wrap-up with David Creswell

2min

The Importance of Sleep for Academic Success

16min

We all know we need a good night’s sleep but sleep researcher, David Creswell PhD has studied how our performance is actually affected by sleep. He has even found a predictive correlation between student’s college GPA scores and their sleep duration.

David Creswell is a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University and has published numerous studies on mindfulness-based interventions and their impact on well-being. He is a prominent researcher specializing in health psychology, mindfulness meditation, and stress management.

Earlier this year David co-authored a paper in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences called, “Nightly sleep duration predicts grade point average in the first year of college” which caught our attention. The research measures performance metrics among students who wore Fitbits while sleeping. The findings suggest getting less than 6 hours of sleep may be a threshold where sleep shifts from helpful to harmful.

To wrap up the conversation, hosts Kurt and Tim discuss the topic of sleep in their Grooving Session. They discuss their very different sleep patterns and what Kurt has done to help improve his insomnia.

Topics

(4:22) Welcome and speed round questions.

(5:50) David’s research on sleep.

(12:14) What about daytime napping?

(15:42) The difference between sleeping more or less than 6 hours per night.

(17:16) Sleep duration and academic success in college students.

(22:16) How to avoid false positives in research.

(30:09) Does David listen to music while he sleeps?

(33:34) Grooving Session with Kurt and Tim on sleep.

Links

Dr David Creswell PhD: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/psychology/directory/core-training-faculty/creswell-david.html

The Health and Human Performance Lab: https://www.healthandhumanperformancelab.com/

Equa App: https://equahealth.io/about-us/

Creswell, et. al. (Jan 2023), “Nightly sleep duration predicts grade point average in the first year of college” Psychological and Cognitive Sciences: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2209123120

Ruchir Sera - Episode 26, Resonea app and the Behavioral Effects of Sleep: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/ruchir-sehra-on-the-behavioral-effects-of-sleep/

American Academy of Sleep Medicine: https://aasm.org/

Musical Links

Taylor Swift “Anti-Hero”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1kbLwvqugk

Don Ho “Tiny Bubbles”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muEFD_odvUg

The Beatles “Yer Blues” from The White Album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeFwaWFTGYU