0113 Daily Patterns of Sleep and Metacognition in College Students

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Sleep problems have been associated with subjective cognitive complaints (a type of metacognition) in older adults, but little research has examined if this same relationship exists in younger adults. Additionally, college students have high intra-individual variability with their sleep, making day-to-day sleep an understudied parameter of interest in this population. Considering that metacognition has been associated with academic outcomes (e.g., GPA) in college students, it is important to understand how daily sleep patterns might impact metacognition. The present study examined how intra-individual variability in sleep is associated with metacognitive ratings in college students. Methods College students (N=81, Mage=18.8, SD = 1.1, 64 females) completed seven days of sleep diaries reporting total sleep time (TST), sleep onset latency (SOL), number of nighttime awakenings, and wake after sleep onset (WASO). Students also provided morning metacognitive ratings regarding the perceived quality of mental functioning from very poor (0) to very good (100). Multilevel modeling analyses tested whether intraindividual variability in daily sleep variables was associated with daily metacognitive ratings, after controlling for interindividual sleep patterns, age, sex, sleep medication usage, and anxiety symptoms (via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Results Daily TST was associated with metacognitive ratings (B=2.35, p=0.003), in that those who slept less than their typical average reported worse metacognitive ratings. Similarly, daily number of nighttime awakenings (B=-1.92, p=0.02) and WASO (B=-0.13, p=0.009) were also associated with metacognitive ratings, in that those with more awakenings and greater WASO than their typical average reported worse metacognitive ratings. Conclusion Findings suggest that deviation in typical daily sleep patterns (shorter TST, a greater number of nighttime awakenings, greater WASO) may impact daily metacognitive ratings in college students. Similar patterns are not observed at the average/interindividual level, prompting the need for future studies to examine daily sleep in college students. These findings point to the need for research examining whether sleep interventions (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) for college students who experience sleep variability, could improve metacognition, which in turn could improve academic outcomes. Support (If Any)