College Students’ Sleep Habits and Their Perceptions Regarding Its Effects on Quality of Life

Abstract

Objective: Poor sleep in college students can attribute to poor academic performance. Poor sleep is detrimental to health; however, adequate sleep is not often seen as a priority. The objective of the study was to better understand college students’ sleep habits and determine their perceptions regarding the effects of these sleep habits on quality of life.
Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional approach with a descriptive design was appropriate for this study. Participants were 122 students, in a Christian college with a population of about 2000 in the mid-western region of the United States. The survey instrument was developed with 6 demographic items and 19 statements using a 4-point Likert-type scale. Data collection occurred in the hallway of the library on two days in the spring semester of 2016.
Results: Regarding sleep habits, the average college student keeps their sleep and study spaces separate, they wake up at a regular time every day, they do use technology, such as a cell phone, TV/radio, computer, or iPad before going to sleep, and they have a sleep environment that is quiet and calming. A significant finding was that students did not think extracurricular activities (anything outside of class) negatively affected their sleep.
Conclusions: A large percentage of students use technology before bed, which places them at a higher risk for negative quality of life. Students admit to experiencing irregularity in their sleep patterns (M=3.59, on a 4-point scale); however, most participants did not agree that caffeine consumption (M=2.15), extracurricular activities (M=2.25), or daytime naps (M=2.16) contributed to sleep problems.