Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Psychiatry. May 19, 2026; 16(5): 114710
Published online May 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i5.114710
Published online May 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i5.114710
Letter to the Editor: Dysfunctional sleep beliefs, chronotype, and academic achievement: Reframing cognitive targets in medical student populations
Ming-Da Wang, Faculty of Education, The National University of Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
Yin-Ling Guo, Department of Neurology, Langfang People’s Hospital, Langfang 065000, Hebei Province, China
Author contributions: Wang MD designed the study and wrote the original draft of the manuscript; Guo YL provided clinical expertise, contributed to reviewing, revising, and editing the manuscript. Both authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Yin-Ling Guo, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Neurology, Langfang People’s Hospital, No. 37 Xinhua Road, Guangyang District, Langfang 065000, Hebei Province, China. guoyinling1234@126.com
Received: September 26, 2025
Revised: December 2, 2025
Accepted: January 7, 2026
Published online: May 19, 2026
Processing time: 215 Days and 11.2 Hours
Revised: December 2, 2025
Accepted: January 7, 2026
Published online: May 19, 2026
Processing time: 215 Days and 11.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Altınöz et al identified that dysfunctional sleep beliefs affect academic performance indirectly through impaired sleep quality, with evening-type students being particularly vulnerable. This commentary underscores the novelty of incorporating cognitive distortions into chronobiological models of student achievement and emphasizes that interventions should target modifiable beliefs and sleep quality. Future research should employ longitudinal and multi-method designs, while educational policy reforms should integrate chronotype-sensitive scheduling and cognitive-behavioral strategies to enhance both sleep health and academic success in high-pressure learning environments.