298 Sleep Stability and Academic Performance in College Students

Abstract

Abstract Introduction There is considerable research demonstrating poor sleep patterns in college students; however, few studies actually examine sleep stability over a typical undergraduate career. Considering that the transition to college involves significant shifts in independence and potentially creating a foundation of lifelong behavioral patterns, it is important to identify whether these poor sleep patterns change throughout college. Additionally, studies show that shorter sleep duration predicts poorer academic performance. In the current study, it was expected that students would report poor sleep on average, and that poorer sleep would predict worse academic performance. Methods Participants included 27 full-time first-year undergraduate students who completed an online survey every spring for four years to examine sleep habits as part of a larger longitudinal study on the transition to college at a small liberal arts school. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to assess total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency, and quality; the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was used to determine sleepiness. Semester GPA was obtained via college registrar records. Results Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed no differences in participants’ sleep variables (TST, sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and sleepiness) across all four time points. Average TST was 6.85 hours per night, and overall sleep quality (PSQI) was poor (M = 6.12). Mean sleep efficiency was 86.70%; mean ESS score was 5.35. Preliminary analyses revealed no significant differences between GPA values over the course of the four years; sleep factors did not predict GPA. Conclusion Overall, students reported short sleep, poor sleep quality, decent sleep efficiency, and borderline higher than normal daytime sleepiness. However, sleep factors and GPA were stable over all time points. These results suggest that poor sleep habits start early and continue throughout students’ college career, as opposed to developing throughout college, or starting out poor and improving. Surprisingly, preliminary results indicated that sleep factors did not predict academic performance. Limitations include subjective sleep assessments, limited testing, and small sample size; however, this longitudinal study sheds interesting light on the general sleep patterns of college students over the course of their entire academic career. Support (if any) None.