Multiple Studies Confirm Importance of Good Sleep
Studies presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies show that sleep is vital for attention, academic performance and even free-throw shooting. Kevin Begos reports.
SUBSCRIBE TO Science Quickly
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
What do airport baggage screeners, students and basketball players have in common? They all need a good night’s sleep. A study presented this week at the Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies suggests basketballers who get some extra z's are more likely to score in a game. (Stanford University) researchers monitored members of the school's men's basketball team during two weeks of regular sleep cycles and then two weeks with extra sleep. With extra sleep the athletes reported increased energy; faster sprint times; and better
free-throw shooting.
Another study found that college students who pull all-nighters to prepare for tests tend to have lower grade point averages than those who get regular sleep. And 2nd and 3rd graders with sleep disorders are more likely to receive bad grades in math, reading and writing, according to a study from Chappaqua Public Schools in New York. But it gets even worse. A researcher from Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston found that airport baggage screeners who didn’t get enough sleep made more errors in searching for unusual items that might be a threat. You need to catch z’s to catch bad guys.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber
