Matthew Rickert: I decided to test one of the recommendations from this site. I tested my chronotype and discovered that I was a slight morning person. With this in mind, I decided to see if a 2 hour delay in the start of my day had an impact on my performance, alertness, and productivity throughout the day. On the first day of this short 2 day test, I woke up at 6:55. With trepidation, I arose from my bed and lumbered to the shower. Prepared for the day, I went to classes and discovered an improved focus and a lack of sleepiness. The following day, my alarm blared at 8:55. Slowly, with a mighty stretch, I turned off my alarm and sprightly arose from my mattress. After undergoing my hygienic morning routine, I endeavoured the mighty trek to my first class of the day. With an initial burst of energy, I honed in on the lessons being taught. However, as evening approached and homework loomed, I found myself in want of sleep. Unable to pay attention and with a decreased focus, I dejectedly shuffled to bed. Having tested my chronotype, and then seeing if the time I woke up affected me, I believe that there is a true difference in the 2 hour delay of wakefulness. As a morning person, it is important that whether or not I have a class, I wake up at an early time to set myself up for the rest of the day. While the initial burst of energy is nice, my body is not willing to work in the evening when it feels that I should be asleep.

Murray Manley: The Green Team recommended that students make sure they eat a nutritious breakfast in the morning before school at a set time every day. Research has shown that when humans eat breakfast at a regular time each day, their bodies adjust to the schedule in and begin to wake up just before the meal in anticipation of food. Therefore, eating meals at regular times every morning should help you wake up more easily. To test our recommendation, I ate breakfast at 6:00 am on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. I noticed that about 30 minutes after I ate, I felt more energized and alert. On Thursday morning I didn’t eat breakfast at all. Compared to the earlier days in the week, I felt much more tired and groggy all morning, not to mention hungry. (I never skip meals). Although I don’t believe eating breakfast made me less tired throughout the day, I do believe that eating breakfast made me more awake and alert in the morning for my early classes. Limitations of the test include the fact that I was the only one who tested out the theory; one person is an extremely small sample size. Additionally, although I ate breakfast at the same all three mornings, I woke up at various times before 6, which adds in another variable.

Olivia Howell: The green team recommended that students and teachers use brighter lighting (especially natural light) in the mornings to help keep students awake. I have seen the evidence of these effects in my two morning classes, biology lab and biology class. After an hour in a lab room with large windows, I feel more alert and ready to face the day then after the hour in the darker class room with no outside windows. Also, this week I got ready in the morning two different ways: one time using only dim room lights and the other with my shade up and overhead light on. On the well-lit morning, I felt more alert and was able to function more efficiently, both mentally and physically.