Investigation of the effects of awakening daylight on the morning alertness, mood, and sleep quality of male college students

A dormitory is one of the most important places for college students at a university. The daylight of a dormitory has an important impact on students' work efficiency, mood, and sleep quality. To explore the influence of daylight exposure on morning alertness, mood, and sleep quality before waking up, a study was conducted based on the hourly dynamic meteorological parameters of Beijing to simulate the daylight exposure at eye level of students on different beds on the sixth floor of the No. 11 apartments at Tsinghua University. The data for sleep quality, morning alertness, and mood were collected by a subjective questionnaire in November and December in 2017 for 88 male students in 28 dormitories and in May and June for 90 male students in 36 dormitories. The results showed that the positive correlation between the eye light exposure before waking up and the quality of sleep and morning alertness was significant. This study can provide a reference for the daylight design of dormitory spaces and the scientific arranging of beds and orientations; it can also provide a reference for a rotation system. •The study investigated the effects of awakening daylight on morning alertness, mood and sleep quality of male college students.•Presenting a method to calculate the daylight exposure at eye level before awakening.•Awakening daylight shows different effects in different seasons.•Provides some new references for daylight design of dormitory buildings.