Don’t Sleep on This TEDx Talk

The research-backed sleep challenge described in the TEDx Talk by Baylor Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Michael Scullin, Ph.D., earned the distinction of being recognized as one of the most important contributions toward TED’s “ideas worth spreading.” Scullin’s TEDxBaylor University talk, “The Eight-Hour Sleep Challenge During Finals Week,” was selected as an Editor’s Pick for representing “a valuable and timely idea” for TED’s global audience.

Fewer than 1% of the hundreds of thousands of TEDx Talks published each year receive the honor of being selected as an Editor’s Pick. 

Scullin is an internationally recognized researcher in sleep and cognition. Titled “I give students extra credit for sleeping—here’s why,” on YouTube, Scullin’s TEDx Talk challenges the common “all-nighter” approach many college students adopt with an evidence-based challenge of eight hours of sleep during finals week. His data emphasized students’ need for sleep and how they were successful when they prioritized it. 

“TED’s slogan is that ‘Ideas Change Everything.’ As such, I’m truly honored that they selected my TEDxBaylor University talk as an Editor’s Pick,” Scullin said. “Many people know that sleep is important, but they view sleep habits as unchangeable. My talk tells the story of a decade of teaching experiences, laboratory experiments and the unconventional approaches I’ve taken to improving students’ sleep during final exams. I’m so grateful to learn that TEDx believes this idea to be worth sharing.”

Watch the TEDx Talk, I give students extra credit for sleeping — here’s why, on YouTube.