How health impacts academic performance

College is full of so many new, exciting opportunities. This experience, while seemingly full of fun, is also a huge investment in your future. Since so much time and money is put into getting an undergraduate degree, there’s no reason not to take full advantage and maximize your academic performance. While there are many keys to succeeding at school, one factor that is commonly overlooked is caring for your health. Stress, physical activity and sleep have all been proven to have some correlation with scholastic achievement. 

A 2007 study, conducted by the University of Minnesota, compared the GPAs of 24,000 college students with their responses to questions about their general health. When asked about their sleep, the students who reported getting inadequate sleep had an average GPA of 3.08. In comparison, students who received adequate rest had an average GPA of 3.27. Between hanging out with friends and working on homework, it can be challenging to fit everything that needs to be done into a day and not sacrifice sleep. Fortunately, making some simple changes, like using a planner to be more efficient with time or simply prioritizing bedtime could be the key to improving your health and, potentially, your grades.  

The same study found that students who believed that stress was impacting their performance in school had an average GPA of 3.12, while students who didn’t feel as stressed had an average GPA of 3.23. Additionally, students who reported that excessive screen time affected their ability to study had a difference of 0.23 between their GPA and their counterparts. These numerical differences seem small at first glance, but on an individual level, they can have a very large impact.

Attending college is valuable on so many different levels. Growing relationships with people, pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, learning and challenging yourself mentally are all critical at this point in our lives. Grades are just one aspect of this big picture that makes up academic success. For some, it may be a critical area to work on, but for others it may not be a concern. Regardless of how important we might find our grades to be, there's never not a reason to push yourself to perform to the best of your abilities. Putting care and effort into your work and health will reward you in the long run. Living a well-balanced lifestyle has too many benefits for us to not try improving our health.

By Nicole Hardt