College Does This to You, and Aims to Fix It

New research on the connection between sleep and performance has colleges scrambling to get their students to bed, the Boston Globe reports. According to a university doctor, “pulling an all-nighter is the equivalent of driving drunk and is detrimental to reaction time and memory.” But some habits are hard to break, and information campaigns appear to be falling on tired ears.

Sleep deprivation can become a cycle, leaving students feeling trapped in a drowsy cage of their own making. With so much work to do and fun to have, young scholars often stay up late to finish papers for classes they end up sleeping through. Colleges are even sponsoring sleep contests, but the ready availability of caffeine makes a late night look like a good option. (More sleep stories.)