The time dedicated to sleep directly impacts physical health, and scientific research has already associated insufficient rest with various problems, such as mood changes, anxiety, diabetes, and alterations in immune system function. In addition to health, sleep has increasingly been linked to academic success.
A new investigation conducted by universities in the United States sought to deepen this connection, focusing on real situations experienced by students. Scientists discovered, for the first time in a practical test, that increasing sleep time truly contributes to better school performance. Furthermore, they demonstrated that small daily adjustments can be used to foster healthier sleep habits.
This study was published in the scientific journal Journal of Political Economy and involved a four-week field experiment with over one thousand and ten students. Initially, these students slept an average of six point six hours per day.
Half of the participants received stimuli to ensure a minimum of seven hours of nighttime sleep. For this, they received reminders at bedtime and, if they met the goal, earned $4.75 daily. The objective was to incorporate incentives into the student routine to extend sleep duration. The remaining group received neither rewards nor reminders.
All participants were monitored using a Fitbit, a device used to measure sleep, heart rate, and other health metrics.
After the weeks-long period, researchers compared the sleep duration of the two groups. In the group that received incentives, there was a 26% increase in nights with more than seven hours of sleep, corresponding to approximately 19 additional minutes per night. Even after the reminders and rewards ended, this group maintained a higher sleep pattern, with about eight extra minutes per night.
In a second phase of analysis, researchers correlated this data with the students' academic performance, assessed in the United States by GPA, which is the average grade calculated on a scale of zero to four. An increase in the GPA of the students who participated in the sleep incentive intervention was observed. During the study period, this index rose between 0.075 and 0.089 points in this group, and this increase was maintained at a similar magnitude in the following semester.
The authors emphasize that these improvements are comparable to those seen in financial incentive programs aimed at students, but were achieved through a simple change in routine. The authors concluded in the study that 'our results demonstrate that sleep-targeted incentives can be a cost-effective approach to improving academic outcomes.' However, they also indicated that more research is needed to better understand the link between sleep and school performance and to verify the applicability of similar interventions in other groups.
Information was provided regarding the defense of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) dissertation by Museyibzada Jowhar Shamsaddin oghli in the field of history.
The dissertation topic is titled 'Vectors of activity of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan in international organizations and their comparative analysis.'
Humoyun Khamidjon Mamajonov successfully defended his PhD dissertation in the field of history sciences.
The dissertation topic is titled 'A study of the life and state activities of Amir Timur in the historiography of the Republic of Turkey (1923–2023)'.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts competitive examinations across the country, is constantly embroiled in controversy. Following incidents like the NEET paper leak, this agency is once again in the spotlight regarding an issue related to UGC-NET June 2026. In this matter, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided to re-conduct these exams because serious errors were found in the question papers of three subjects.
Meanwhile, candidates have taken to the streets in Maharashtra due to allegations of technical glitches and server failure during the typing test for the Bombay High Court clerk recruitment. In both situations, the main question for the candidates is why the candidates ultimately have to bear the cost of the deficiencies of the examination agencies?
NTA has announced that the UGC-NET exams for English, Commerce, and Sociology will be held again. The English and Commerce exams will be on September 9, while the Sociology exam is scheduled for September 10. Candidates will not have to pay any additional fee for this re-exam. An investigation by the expert committee of NTA found that there were several serious errors in the question papers related to facts, typing, translation, and grammar. The committee concluded that it was not possible to rectify these shortcomings only through the challenge process. However, the results for the remaining 84 subjects will be released according to the original schedule.
The investigation revealed that names of famous scholars were written incorrectly, book subjects were unclear, and many old questions were repeated. NTA also clarified that there will be no delay in JRF allocation, Assistant Professor eligibility, or PhD admission process due to the re-exam. Additionally, 6 percent (whichever is higher) of the number of candidates who appeared in the original exam or re-test for Assistant Professor eligibility in June will be retained, and the number of previously allotted seats will not be reduced.
On the other hand, candidates taking the typing test for the Bombay High Court clerk recruitment in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar protested and demanded a re-examination. These candidates alleged faults in the computer, mouse, keyboard, and server. Some participants claimed that they logged out of the system within about 10 minutes of the exam starting.
The High Court administration acknowledged receiving information about technical problems at some centers in Aurangabad and Kalyan and stated that the matter is under investigation and candidates will be officially informed about further action.
Commenting on this development, Congress leader Pawan Khera stated on the social media platform X that the notorious NTA is once again under scrutiny, and he expressed hope that this time, pressure would not be exerted to shield small-scale individuals from political accountability, as happened in the temple donation theft case. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized the central government, calling it a major failure of the government, targeting NTA and the entire examination system.
In Maharashtra, several candidates protested against the technical glitches and server issues in the typing test conducted for the Bombay High Court clerk recruitment on Sunday in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Abhijit Dipke, convener of CJP, was also among the protesters. The protesters argued that they could not take the exam properly due to faults in the computer, keyboard, and server, and they were declared unsuccessful without fault on their part.
