Category: College of Public Health

Michael Kaleem
URSP Abstract

Title
Rest and Results: The Relationship Between Sleep, Stress, and Grade Point Average (GPA) in Undergraduates

Authors: MK and AW

Background
Sleep plays an important role in college students’ cognitive functioning and overall academic success, making it a crucial area of study. However, the specific relationship between parameters of sleep and academic performance has not been well studied. In addition, college students have also reported increasing levels of stress over the past few years, and stress can affect both sleep and academic success. Therefore, the current investigation examined the associations between duration of sleep, sleep quality, and stress with academic success.

Methods
Data were collected by surveys completed by undergraduate students at a large, public university. Sleep duration and sleep quality were assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale. Academic success was operationalized as a self-reported GPA. Pearson correlations determined association between the variables of interest with p<0.05 set as the level of statistical significance. Results
There were 196 undergraduate students that participated (70.1% female, 36% white/non-Hispanic, 27.6% Asian/Pacific Islander, age: 18.1±0.5). Both sleep duration and sleep quality were statistically significantly related to GPA (r=0.17, p=0.02, r=-0.13; p=0.001, respectively). Therefore, as the number of hours of sleep increased and as sleep quality increased (lower number on PSQI is indicative of better sleep), GPA increased. Elevated stress levels were related to both sleep duration (r=-0.14; p=0.01) and sleep quality (r=0.40; p<0.001) but not significantly correlated to GPA (r=-0.01; p=0.92). Conclusion
This study found that sleep duration and sleep quality were positively associated with academic success. Although stress was not directly related to academic success, it was associated with both sleep duration and quality, suggesting that stress may influence academic success indirectly through its effects on sleep. Future research should explore how demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors influence sleep patterns and academic success to better inform strategies that support student success.

How many hours of sleep did you get last night? And do you think it affects your GPA? Sleep is something most college students sacrifice, yet it’s essential for memory, learning, and mental functioning. My name is Michael Kaleem, and our research explored the relationship between sleep, stress, and academic performance in undergraduates. We wanted to know: Could better sleep actually lead to better grades—and how does stress fit into the picture?

Sleep is more than just rest. During sleep, the brain strengthens memories, organizes information, and supports attention and problem-solving. So, in theory, students who sleep longer and sleep better should perform better academically. But college life is complex—so real data is needed to understand what’s actually happening.

Stress is one of the biggest disruptors of sleep. High stress can shorten sleep duration, worsen sleep quality, and impact mood and focus. Because stress influences both sleep and academic functioning, we wanted to understand whether stress plays a direct role in GPA—or whether its effects occur indirectly through sleep.
We surveyed 196 undergraduate students at a large public university. Sleep duration and sleep quality were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale, and students self-reported their GPA. We used Pearson correlations to examine how these variables were related, with significance set at p < 0.05.
We found that both sleep duration and sleep quality were significantly related to GPA. Students who slept more hours tended to have higher GPAs. And students with better sleep quality—which means fewer sleep problems—also had higher GPAs. So in this sample, sleep really did matter for academic success.
Stress told a different story. Stress levels were not directly related to GPA. However, stress was strongly connected to both sleep duration and sleep quality. Students with higher stress slept fewer hours and had worse sleep quality. This suggests that stress may influence academic performance indirectly—by affecting the amount and quality of sleep students get.
Our findings show that sleep duration and sleep quality are important predictors of academic success. Even though stress didn’t directly affect GPA, it played a major role in disrupting sleep. This highlights a powerful message: helping students improve sleep habits and manage stress can support academic performance, cognitive functioning, and overall well-being.
Future research should explore how demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors influence sleep and academic outcomes. Understanding these differences can help universities design more effective programs to support healthier sleep, reduce stress, and improve student success across diverse populations.