0054 Does the Early Bird Get the Worm? Associations of Waketime Variability and Metacognition in College Students

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Deviation in sleep patterns have been associated with cognitive functioning in college students, but little research has examined how deviation in bed and waketime impact next-day metacognition. Given college students have high daily variability with their bedtime and waketime, these are understudied parameter of interest in this population. Considering metacognition has been associated with academic outcomes (e.g., GPA), it is important to understand how daily bedtime and waketime patterns might impact metacognition. The present study examined how daily deviation from bedtime and waketime are associated with metacognitive ratings in college students. Methods College students (N=81, Mage=18.8, SD = 1.1, 64 females) completed seven days of sleep diaries reporting bedtime, sleep duration, and waketime. Students also provided morning metacognitive ratings regarding the perceived quality of mental functioning from very poor (0) to very good (100). Multilevel modeling analyses tested whether intraindividual patterns of associations between daily bedtime and daily waketime and daily morning metacognitive ratings, after controlling for intraindividual daily anxiety severity, interindividual levels of bed/wake time variability and sleep duration, as well as age, sex, and daily sleep medication usage. Results Daily waketime was associated with same morning metacognitive ratings (B=.02, p=0.03), in that those who woke up earlier than their typical average reported worse cognitive function. Findings did not reveal an association between bedtime variability and metacognition. Conclusion Findings suggest that regardless of how long one has slept, waking up earlier than typical may negatively impact perceptions of cognitive functioning in college students. Similar patterns are not observed at the average/interindividual level. Given younger adults typically have a delayed circadian preference, findings may reflect acute circadian disruption and associated “brain fog” in college students when waking up earlier than typical. Future studies should examine associations between daily waketime and objective cognition to better understand how regularity impacts daytime functioning. Similar to findings in adolescent populations, such evaluations could inform recommendations regarding college class start times. Support (if any)