Circadian Coaching for Student Success: Multi‑site Pilot Outcomes From Three U.S. Universities 

Aligning the Academic Day With the Body Clock: Pilot Evaluation of the Owaves Program at USD, SDSU, and UCSD

Introduction

College students face significant challenges in balancing their mental health, sleep habits, physical activity, nutrition, time management, and academic productivity. In response, digital health interventions have emerged, offering students structured, accessible ways to track behaviors, set goals, and improve well-being. While many of these apps focus on one aspect of student life, such as mindfulness, nutrition, or fitness, they rarely address the full range of behaviors that contribute to overall wellness. Owaves is the world’s first  wellness  planning app that allows individuals to map their daily routine, including sleep,, meals, study, exercise and social activities, onto a circadian clock. In a pilot program, Owaves combined personalized coaching, peer support, and app-based scheduling to help students build sustainable routines. Participants in the pilot at the University of San Diego (USD), San Diego State University (SDSU), and UC San Diego (UCSD) reported improvements in mental health, sleep quality, physical activity, nutrition, and academic productivity. This paper presents findings from this multi-site pilot program, offering preliminary evidence of effectiveness of Owaves in supporting student well-being and success.

Literature Review

Rates of anxiety, depression, suicidality, and pervasive feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and isolation have risen sharply among young adults over the past decade, according to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2011–2021). College students are at a heightened risk for mental health challenges, and many are left without access to adequate support. Academic and financial pressures, irregular sleep, and other lifestyle factors heighten  stress and anxiety yet  many students encounter barriers to accessing traditional mental health care including stigma, long wait times, and limited counseling capacity.  (Ferrari, Allan, Arnold, Eleftheriadis, Alvarez-Jimenez, Gumley, & Gleeson, 2022). These resource limitations underscore the need for accessible, preventive tools like Owaves (King et al., 2024; Frontiers, 2025).

Structured lifestyle interventions have emerged as a promising approach to support student well-being by helping individuals track behaviors, set goals, and develop healthy routines (Lattie, Adkins, Winquist, Stiles-Shields, Wafford, Graham, 2019). Interventions that combine digital platforms with human support, such as coaching or guided modules, have shown the greatest potential for improving mental health outcomes, including reductions in stress and anxiety and enhancements in overall psychological well-being (Lattie et. al., 2019). Engagement and usability remain critical challenges, as students are more likely to benefit from programs that are intuitive, adaptable to their schedules, and supportive of sustained behavior change (Fleming, Bavin, Lucassen, Stasiak, Hopkins, & Merry, 2018). These findings underscore the need for holistic, lifestyle-focused digital interventions that address multiple dimensions of student wellness, including sleep, nutrition, physical activity, time management, meaningful relationships and participating in healthy recreation.

Overview of Pilot Programs

Over the past few years, Owaves has partnered with local universities – including the University of San Diego (USD), San Diego State University (SDSU), and UC San Diego (UCSD) – to pilot its wellness coaching program for students. Each pilot combined the Owaves app (for planning healthy routines) with weekly coaching sessions and peer support. The focus was on helping students improve key aspects of their daily lives: mental health, sleep habits, physical activity, nutrition, time management, and academic productivity. The pilots were generally semester-long (8–12 weeks), with small cohorts (≈10–15 students each). Retention in these trials was strong – the majority of enrolled students stayed engaged through the end of the program (over 75% attended most or all coaching sessions, indicating high adherence). Participants used the app daily to schedule classes, meals, workouts, study time, and sleep, while meeting regularly with coaches (and each other) to review progress. Notably, interest in the program was high; for example, a Fall 2024 sign-up at UCSD drew nearly 30 applicants within days, all of whom expressed goals like improving focus, mood, energy, or GPA, and many were willing to pay for 24/7 coaching support. These pilot engagements provide tangible evidence of effectiveness – students reported and demonstrated improvements across mental health, sleep, exercise, nutrition, productivity, and overall well-being, as summarized below.

Figure: Top wellness goals (self-reported) among Owaves pilot applicants at UCSD, illustrating the demand for better focus, academic performance, energy, mood, and healthy weight management.

Improvements in Student Wellness & Performance

Mental Health & Emotional Well-Being

Students in the pilots reported significant boosts to their mental health, including reduced stress and anxiety. For example, Hannah, a USD freshman, initially struggled with anxiety and an overwhelming schedule. Using Owaves to plan one day at a time and visualize her activity balance, she was able to identify and fix problem areas – “not getting to sleep when I should” or overloading herself with work became evident and more easily adjusted. Importantly, Hannah discovered she’d had virtually no true relaxation in her routine. What she used to consider “relaxation” was actually screen time – which wasn’t truly restful. By deliberately replacing late-night screen use with calming activities (like reading outside, meditation, or a de-stressing shower), she achieved real mental downtime, which “immensely helped [her] mental health.” Overall, participants reported feeling more in control of their day-to-day stressors and moods. Several noted that having a structured daily plan reduced the tendency to fixate on future worries, thereby easing anxiety. Coaches also observed these gains: during coaching sessions, students would “celebrate reductions in screen time” and describe how disconnecting from devices helped them reconnect to themselves, leading to better emotional balance. By the end of the programs, mood improvements were common – one student mentioned she now makes time to see friends and unwind, which lifted her spirits. All participants who provided feedback were enthusiastic advocates – 100% said they would recommend Owaves to friends, precisely because they experienced positive changes in their mental well-being and daily happiness. These qualitative outcomes align with broader research showing that structured, lifestyle-focused interventions can improve depression and anxiety in college populations, lending credibility to Owaves’ approach.

Sleep & Circadian Rhythm

Sleep habits were a core focus of the pilots, and students saw marked improvements in their sleep quality and consistency. Many began with erratic schedules or insufficient sleep – for instance, one student admitted to “studying crazy hours” late into the night and feeling exhausted the next day. Through Owaves, they learned to prioritize regular sleep and to align with healthier circadian rhythms. Marley, a doctoral student at USD, set a firm bedtime (10:30 pm) and used the app’s schedule to stick to it nightly. After a short time, “following my Owaves schedule daily allowed my body to acclimate” – she began getting naturally tired at the chosen time as her body clock adjusted. The result was transformative: Marley describes that getting to bed on time “helped me function better throughout the day.” She was able to complete more tasks and retain more information in class thanks to being well-rested. Others echoed this trend. Participants who struggled with inconsistent sleep or all-nighters learned proper sleep hygiene (e.g. winding down without screens, keeping a steady sleep/wake time) and reported feeling more energetic and focused in the mornings. One UCSD student targeted a 9:00 pm – 6:30 am sleep schedule because he knew he performed best in the morning – by the end of the pilot he had developed the discipline to stick to it, overcoming late-night screen distractions. In sum, the coaching pilots helped instill healthy circadian routines, with students sleeping more regularly and waking up refreshed. This stability in turn lowered their stress and improved overall mood and academic readiness (consistent with circadian health benefits documented in literature).

Physical Activity & Nutrition Habits

The Owaves pilot program takes a holistic view of wellness, and students made strides in their physical health behaviors – especially in establishing regular exercise and healthier eating patterns. Each participant set personal goals in these areas. For example, at SDSU one student (a former competitive swimmer) wanted to incorporate new workouts into his routine, and another aimed to add more whole foods to her diet to mitigate a family history of diabetes. Using Owaves, they scheduled dedicated blocks for exercise and meal planning, treating these as important as their classes or study time. As a result, physical activity levels increased – students who had been too busy or tired to exercise found that by budgeting time for it, they could maintain consistency (some even joined group workout meetups organized by the coaches, making exercise fun and social). Dietary habits improved significantly as well. Hannah admitted that before Owaves she “never did” eat breakfast; during the pilot she not only started eating breakfast every day, but also shifted to more nutritious choices. She proudly reported eating “at least one salad a day” and swapping junk snacks for almonds or fruit – changes that didn’t feel like harsh sacrifices, but rather sustainable habit tweaks. Noor, another USD freshman, had a similar experience: her primary goal was to eat more regularly, and with the help of Owaves and her coach she managed to make breakfast a regular part of her morning routine. The coaching personalization was key – “with the coach’s help I was able to find foods that worked for me in the morning,” Noor noted, “and gradually [this] became normal for me.” By planning out meals in advance (and even learning quick healthy recipes from Owaves’ dietitian coach), participants avoided skipping meals or grabbing “protein bar for dinner” as one had been doing. Several students also had weight management goals; those who followed the program reported better weight control through the combination of regular exercise and improved diet (e.g. one student lost a few pounds of excess weight by cutting out late-night snacking once her new schedule took effect). Across the board, the circadian-friendly meal timing (eating at consistent times each day) and balanced nutrition translated into better energy levels and physical well-being. Participants frequently commented on feeling healthier and more active than before. One coach’s summary was that the students were “slowly establishing healthy patterns until it [became] the norm rather than the goal.” In other words, by the end of the pilot many healthy behaviors (regular meals, workouts, adequate sleep) had turned into routine habits – a critical indicator of long-term impact.

Productivity, Focus & Academic Success

A major pain point for many students was time management – juggling academics, extracurriculars, jobs, and self-care. The pilots demonstrated that Owaves can significantly improve students’ productivity and focus, leading to better academic performance. At UCSD, for instance, over 80% of pilot applicants identified “improve focus” and “boost GPA” as top goals (Figure 1 above), and those who completed the program felt they were on track to achieve this. By mapping out their days on Owaves, participants learned to organize their time more efficiently. They scheduled dedicated study periods (often during their personal peak focus times, like morning or early evening) and protected time for breaks and hobbies to avoid burnout. This structured approach yielded tangible results: Marley noted that after adopting a healthy routine with Owaves, she was able to stop last-minute cramming and instead get sufficient sleep – and as a result she could “complete more tasks and retain more information in class,” a clear academic benefit. Other students also described being more present and focused during lectures and study sessions, since they were less sleep-deprived and not constantly worrying about what they might be forgetting. Owaves essentially gave them peace of mind – once a to-do or study block was scheduled, they could focus on the moment knowing that everything had its time slot. One freshman remarked that the app “makes changes to a daily schedule feel less imposing” – big projects or healthy habits were broken into manageable pieces on the calendar, so procrastination dropped and productivity climbed. Importantly, by scheduling free time as well, students achieved a better work-life balance. For example, one participant really wanted to figure out “how to have free time!” despite a packed schedule – through better organization, she succeeded and avoided burnout. Many pilots coincided with challenging academic periods (midterms, finals), yet students handled them with greater ease: none of the Owaves pilot students dropped out or had academic issues during the program, and several reported improved grades or confidence in their academic performance afterward (e.g. one senior’s GPA improved from the previous term, which she attributed partly to her new routine and stress-management techniques). Overall, the pilots provided strong anecdotal evidence that Owaves helps students become more productive, focused, and academically successful by teaching them how to optimize their 24 hours and prioritize both school and self-care.

Participant Engagement & Feedback

Beyond the specific wellness outcomes, the pilot programs demonstrated excellent engagement and received very positive feedback from participants. Of the students who started the pilots, a large majority remained active through the final session – attending weekly coaching meet-ups, using the app consistently, and interacting in group chats. In the Spring 2019 USD pilot, for instance, over 80% of the cohort attended at least 5 out of 6 sessions (plus a final presentation), which is a high retention rate for an extracurricular program. Many students continued to use Owaves on their own after the formal pilot ended – indicating lasting engagement. In fact, a few enjoyed the experience so much that they became Owaves ambassadors/interns to help run future cohorts (two of the SDSU pilot participants later assisted as peer coaches in the UCSD program). Participant satisfaction was universally strong. In post-pilot surveys and interviews, students described the program as “holistic,” “supportive,” and “life-changing.” They particularly valued the human coaching element combined with the app. As Marley summarized, “the coaches and app provided me with new strategies, tools, and support to assist with meeting my health and wellness goals along with time management.” The coaching was “the extra motivating factor [we] needed to set goals and achieve them,” and coaches continually “reinforced the benefits of using Owaves for planning, self-care, and organization.” This blend of technology and personal support kept students accountable and inspired. The community aspect also enhanced engagement – participants met others with similar goals and shared struggles and tips. “The group meetups were a great feature too!” one student noted, as they created camaraderie and fun (e.g. group walks, healthy potlucks). The feedback forms were filled with success stories: students talked about feeling happier, more energetic, and more in control of their lives. Several mentioned that friends and family noticed positive changes in them. As an illustrative testimonial, one student wrote: “Owaves allowed me to schedule my physical activity, monitor my eating, and interact with others with similar goals… It was the extra push I needed. The biggest gain for me was getting to bed on time; this helped me be more effective during the day.” Such stories underscore Owaves’ effectiveness in a real-world college setting.

Conclusion: Evidence of Effectiveness

In summary, the USD, SDSU, and UCSD pilot programs yielded compelling evidence that Owaves can significantly improve student well-being and performance. Participants demonstrated improvements in mental health (reduced anxiety and stress, better mood), sleep (more consistent schedules and better rest), physical health (regular exercise, healthier diet, weight management), and productivity (improved focus, time management, and academic outcomes). These changes were not abstract – they were observable and reported first-hand by the students and coaches involved. The pilots also showed strong engagement, with high retention and enthusiastic word-of-mouth recommendations. In the words of one student, “Owaves uses a holistic approach to overall wellness… It provided me with new tools and support, and kept me accountable to my goals.” By blending a circadian-based planning app with expert coaching and peer support, Owaves helped students build healthier routines that lasted beyond the pilot. This addendum addresses the advisory board’s feedback by providing concrete data and testimonials: Owaves works. Even in small samples, we see students thriving when given this platform to prioritize wellness. Moving forward, these pilot outcomes give us confidence to scale up – not only do they validate Owaves’ impact (supporting our claims in the business plan), but they also serve as a blueprint for implementation at larger campus populations. Our next steps will involve leveraging this success (and the 80%+ satisfaction/retention rates) to secure full-campus partnerships and formal studies (e.g. the planned UCSD clinical trial in 2025) that will further quantify Owaves’ benefits. Nevertheless, the qualitative and preliminary quantitative results so far are very promising: students who use Owaves report feeling healthier, happier, and more productive – exactly the kind of outcome that can help address the college mental health and performance crisis. The advisory board can be assured that Owaves’ mission is backed by real-world evidence of effectiveness, as demonstrated by these pilot programs.

Sources: Pilot program internal summaries and feedback (USD/SDSU 2019; UCSD 2024), Owaves business plan, and participant testimonial letters.