Sleep and How it Affects College Students

Sleep and How it Affects College Students

William P. Wilkerson

Vanguard University of Southern California

Professor Szala

5-6-15

Statement of the Problem Sleep has been a topic of great scrutiny for many years. People believe many things about sleep, some of it is rooted in religion, superstition, or tradition. With the spread of technology, bright little screens have become a major part of everyone’s lives, making it harder to relax and wind down for sleep.
Research Questions
How does sleep affect academic performance?
How does sleep affect test scores?
How does sleep affect social cognition?
How does sleep affect growth?
How much sleep does a developing person need?
How much sleep does a fully developed college student need?
What are the causes of sleep deprivation among college students?

Definitions
Sleep: a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended.
REM Sleep: a kind of sleep that occurs at intervals during the night and is characterized by rapid eye movements, more dreaming and bodily movement, and faster pulse and breathing.
Sleep Deprivation: the condition of not having enough sleep; it can be either chronic or acute. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. (Mayo Clinic, 2013)
Impaired: Weakened or damaged.
Daytime Sleepiness/Tiredness: Fatigue during daylight hours commonly attributed to inadequate sleep.
Literature Review Adolescent Sleep Patterns, Carskadon, M. A. Cambridge University Press
This book outlines in detail the psychological effects of sleep deprivation on the growing and newly mature mind. This includes chapters on viewpoints from the perspective of a Social Psychologist, Maturational changes in sleep-wake timing, nutrition and circadian activity offset in adolescent rhesus monkeys, and much more. Written by Mary A. Carskadon, and published by Cambridge University, I expect this book to be an invaluable resource. The author uses several medical studies as sources, both done by others and herself. In 1989, car accidents were the number two leading cause of fatalities in persons from ages 15 to 24. The peak age for car crashed caused by the driver falling asleep is 21. The average student in high school gets about seven hours of sleep each night. A survey of college and high school students said that while driving, twice the risk was exhibited from sleepiness as opposed to inebriation. Driving while sleepy can be mitigated using several methods. Some people use music to wake up, whether it’s increasing the volume or the BPM. Driving drunk is much more of a taboo than driving while very sleepy, even though driving while sleepy can cause identical behaviors and dangers.
This article will aid me in my writing because in order for me to understand how sleep affects college students, I need to understand how it affects children. Developmental sleep studies will be a key point in my essay as I will need to show how sleep issues are formed in adolescence as well as how they affect fully grown individuals.
Sleep Studies, Gazette Journal, pp. 4D. Sleep is extremely vital for the health of the heart. So much so, in fact, that a study was published in August of 2006 in the journal entitled Sleep, a researcher named Dr. Daniel J. Gottlieb of the Medical University of Boston. This study suggested that a good night’s sleep should be used as a non-pharmaceutical treatment for managing unhealthy blood pressure. A part of this study was a survey conducted on over 5,000 women and men aged 40 to 100. It asked questions about sleep habits and it found that those who regularly got less than six hours of sleep a night had up to a 66% higher chance of being diagnosed with hypertension. Evidence suggests that some cancers may have roots stemming from sleep deprivation, or rather, prolonged exposure to artificial light. This evidence is based on experiments done at the University Of Connecticut Health Center. The study is based on the theory that the increase in breast cancer diagnoses is linked to hormone cycle disruption.
Sleep Deprivation, Hill, Joal. The Lancet (Mar 20, 2004). The time is 3:30am, Dr. Phillip Orwell, a doctoral resident of internal medicine, is nearing the completion of a work-week lasting over 80 hours. A woman has been admitted under the condition of “viral syndrome”. She has been administered a drug called pethidine for the purpose of alleviating her shaking. Dr. Orwell orders a nurse to apply a “posey jacket” to abate the symptoms while he makes his way over to the patient. The nurse is reluctant to administer the drug to the patient, because combined with the psychiatric drug she is currently on, pethidine is lethal. The nurse wonders, “Is Dr. Orwell Impaired?” How Sleep Deprivation Affects Psychological Variables Related to College Students’ Cognitive Performance, Pilcher, June. Journal of American College Health The effects that sleep deprivation can cause on cognitive performance and psychological variables related to brain functionality were studied using a sample size of 44 college students. Participants were given a standardized task to determine cognitive function, one group after 8 hours of sleep, and another after 24 hours without sleep. After the task, participants were asked to complete two questionnaires, one of which assessing the amount of effort put into the task, estimated performance, and concentration. The other assessed off-task cognitions. As you might expect, the participants who were sleep deprived performed significantly worse than those who were tested after a good night’s sleep. Contrary to what you might think, however, the participants that were sleep deprived thought that they scored significantly higher than those who were well rested. The crux of this study is that college students are not aware of how their sleepiness affects their state of well-being and/or cognitive functionality.

Sleep is something that we all do, across all nations, genders, and races. It affects all of our daily lives in different ways. Some people can function well with little to no sleep, while some of us need to sleep for a third of the day in order to feel well. It is something that we all do without really thinking about how it affects us. Most people never stop to think about how differently we act when our routine sleep schedules change. We do not think about how it affects our decision making, our driving, or even our social plans. Autonomous sleep patterns start forming at adolescence, but do not stop there. They are constantly evolving through means of a change in occupation, dietary habits, hobbies, or social schedules. The most major time that sleep affects us is in the most stressful four years of our lives: College. Most students, stay up from dusk ‘till dawn to finish that 10 page paper that they have been procrastinating for three weeks, or to cram for that final exam we are nowhere near ready for. Students often find themselves staying out way too late just because they are out enjoying the city with their friends and floor mates. The big question that will be answered is “When is it time to turn in for the night?” College students often have a very difficult time gauging how tired they are. We know we feel groggy and drowsy, but if we simply pinch ourselves, or get lost in singing a song on the radio, we can feel as though we are refreshed and ready to go, just like the first thing in the morning, but how much fun is too much fun? There are several instances where sleep deprivation can be detrimental to your psychological health. Whether it be driving late at night, or early in the morning, working for several hours, or staying up late studying, sleep deprivation is something that can be easily ignored but is extremely important to monitor.

This chart illustrates the levels of sleep for students aged 9-17. As you can see, the prominent length of sleep is 6-7 hours per night. The medically approved standard length of sleep for a healthy child is 8-9 hours, which is only achieved by 9% of children in this study. This means that many students are not getting adequate sleep, which in turn affects virtually all aspects of their life.

Lack of sleep is a factor in your immune system, physical fitness, and psychological well-being. Sleep deprivation can increase your chance of viral infection, fatigue, and even depression. This chart shows that at younger ages, more sleep is required in order to remain healthy. This is due to the fact that in adolescence, sleep is the time when the brain is able to develop and grow, free of constant stimuli.

Annotated Bibliography

William Wilkerson
English 220C
Professor Szala

Book: Carskadon, M. A. (2002). Adolescent Sleep Patterns. Port Chester, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
This book outlines in detail the psychological effects of sleep deprivation on the growing and newly mature mind. This includes chapters on viewpoints from the perspective of a Social Psychologist, Maturational changes in sleep-wake timing, nutrition and circadian activity offset in adolescent rhesus monkeys, and much more.
Written by Mary A. Carskadon, and published by Cambridge University, I expect this book to be an invaluable resource. The author uses several medical studies as sources, both done by others and herself. In 1989, car accidents were the number two leading cause of fatalities in persons from ages 15 to 24. The peak age for car crashed caused by the driver falling asleep is 21. The average student in high school gets about seven hours of sleep each night.
A survey of college and high school students said that while driving, twice the risk was exhibited from sleepiness as opposed to inebriation. Driving while sleepy can be mitigated using several methods. Some people use music to wake up, whether it’s increasing the volume or the BPM. Driving drunk is much more of a taboo than driving while very sleepy, even though driving while sleepy can cause identical behaviors and dangers.
Brooks, P. (2009, June 1). SLEEP PATTERNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/236525620?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:wcdiscovery&accountid=25359
College students, for a long time, have been a population considered to be particularly plagued by sleep issues. Studies done previously have confirmed that individuals who have sleep disturbance may have a higher risk for the development of depression. The study that was done provides evidence in support of the theorized hypothesis that specific depression aspects and sleep can be related.
A study was done where 147 students completed a questionnaire. 43.5% of that sample stated that they had experienced depression for a period lasting more than two weeks at any point in their life and about 38% consistent trouble sleeping or trouble staying asleep.
The results of the study conducted have important implications in the real world for both the treatment and prevention of depression among college students.

Chang, Y. (2013). The effects of sleep on performance of under graduate students working in the hospitality industry as compared to those who are not working in the industry. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University.
Sleep, or lack thereof, plays an extremely important role in people’s health. Sleep deprivation not only makes people feel groggy during the day, but it’s a possible contributing factor for Alzheimer’s. Researchers have studied the correlation between sleep loss and both task performance and individual productivity. Sleep loss has shown to be negatively linked to academic performance.
One study illustrated that students who were sleep-deprived scored worse on attention, problem-solving, and memory tasks. This adversely reflects their performance academically. Few articles have used the effects of sleep relating to job performance as its main point. Also, very few investigations have studied the products of sleep as it is related to job performance.
This study focuses not only on undergraduate students who are working in the hospitality industry, but also on undergraduate students who are working in other industries and those who are not working at all. As yet, no known studies have been conducted in this area.
Sleep studies.(2006, Oct 29). Journal - Gazette, pp. 4D. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/411363464?accountid=25359
Sleep is extremely vital for the health of the heart. So much so, in fact, that a study was published in August of 2006 in the journal entitled Sleep, a researched named Dr. Daniel J. Gottlieb of the Medical University of Boston. This study suggested that a good night’s sleep should be used as a non-pharmaceutical treatment for managing unhealthy blood pressure.
A part of this study was a survey conducted on over 5,000 women and men aged 40 to 100. It asked questions about sleep habits and it found that those who regularly got less than six hours of sleep a night had up to a 66% higher chance of being diagnosed with hypertension.
Evidence suggest that some cancers may have roots stemming from sleep deprivation, or rather, prolonged exposure to artificial light. This evidence is based on experiments done at the University of Connecticut Health Center. The study is based on the theory that the increase in breast cancer diagnoses is linked to hormone cycle disruption
Hershner, S., & Chervin, R. (n.d.). Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students. Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075951/
Daytime sleepiness, deprivation of sleep, and sleep schedule irregularity are of major prevalence among university students. 50% of students report sleepiness during the daytime and 70% report that they do not attain sufficient sleep. The consequences that sleep deprivation and sleepiness during the daytime pose are very problematic to college students and often result in increased academic failure, lower grade point averages, compromised learning, impaired mood, and an increased risk of accidents involving motor vehicles.
This article explains the current existence of sleepiness and deprivation of sleep among college age students, contributing factors of deprivation of sleep, and the role that sleep has on learning and memory. This article examines the impact that sleep and disorders in sleep has on academics, driving, grade averages, and mood. Most importantly, this article goes over the viable and effective interventions to decrease the prevalence of sleepiness and deprivation of sleep through sleep education, online programs, nap encouragement, and class time adjustment.
This paper examines the fact that addressing issues of sleep, which are often not considered a risk factor for academic failure and depression, should be advocated.
Hill, J. (2004). Sleep deprivation. The Lancet, 363(9413), 996. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199045350?accountid=25359
A doctor named Philip Orwell, a resident of internal medicine, is nearing the close of a shift lasting 80 hours. A patient is admitted with “viral syndrome”, and is prescribed a medicine to alleviate her shaking. However, this medicine is lethal when combined with her psychiatric medication. Dr. Orwell was impaired.
Sleep deprivation can drive people to do things that they would never do in their right mind. Concern for the safety of patients is the main reason that public attention has been drawn to the prevalence of physician impairment. Codes of Ethics clearly articulate physician’s obligations, but when it comes to daily practice, these codes are near impossible to maintain.
It has gone far enough for some physicians that sleep is more important than caring for their patients. "I keep thinking he's blue enough to go to the ICU [intensive care unit]. I keep hoping he's too blue to go anywhere. Probably a nice man with a loving wife and concerned children, but I don't want the SOB [son of a bitch] to make it because I've got one special who is going to keep me up two more hours . . . I don't want the special to live if it means I don't sleep. I just want to sleep."
Pilcher, J. J., PhD., & Walters, A. S., M.A. (1997). How sleep deprivation affects psychological variables related to college students' cognitive performance. Journal of American College Health, 46(3), 121-126. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/875111673?accountid=25359
The effects that sleep deprivation can cause on cognitive performance and psychological variables related to brain functionality were studied using a sample size of 44 college students. Participants were given a standardized task to determine cognitive function, one group after 8 hours of sleep, and another after 24 hours without sleep.
After the task, participants were asked to complete 2 questionnaires, one of which assessing the amount of effort put into the task, estimated performance, and concentration. The other assessed off-task cognitions. As you might expect, the participants who were sleep deprived performed significantly worse than those who were tested after a good night’s sleep.
Contrary to what you might think, however, the participants that were sleep deprived thought that they scored significantly higher than those who were well rested. The crux of this study is that college students are not aware of how their sleepiness affects their state of well-being and/or cognitive functionality.
Tarullo, A. R., Balsam, P. D., & Fifer, W. P. (January 01, 2011). Sleep and infant learning. Infant and Child Development, 20, 1, 35-46.
Human neonates spend the majority of their time sleeping. Despite the limited waking hours available for environmental exploration, the first few months of life are a time of rapid learning about the environment. The organization of neonate sleep differs qualitatively from adult sleep, and the unique characteristics of neonatal sleep may promote learning. Sleep contributes to infant learning in multiple ways.
First, sleep facilitates neural maturation, thereby preparing the infants to process and explore the environment in increasingly sophisticated ways. Second, sleep plays a role in memory consolidation of material presented while the infant was awake. Finally, emerging evidence indicates that infants process sensory stimuli and learn about contingencies in their environment even while asleep. As infants make the transition from reflexive to cortically mediated control, learned responses to physiological challenges during sleep may be critical adaptations to promote infant survival.
Anonymous, . (June 23, 2008). American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Insomnia significantly affects the school performance of college students. Newsrx Health & Science, 297.
Insomnia complaints among college students are significantly associated with a decline in school performance based on self-reported grade-point average (GPA), according to a research abstract that will be presented on Monday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
The study, authored by James F. Pagel, MD, of the University of Colorado, focused on 64 psychology, nursing and medical students, with an average age of 27.4 years. GPA (2.0 to 4.0) was split in the middle to form two groups: low GPA and high GPA.
Liguori, G., Schuna, J., & Mozumdar, A. (September 01, 2011). SEMESTER LONG CHANGES IN SLEEP DURATION FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS. College Student Journal, 45, 3, 481-492.
This study was intended to assess changes in nightly sleep duration over the course of one semester based on gender, residency, and year in school among college students. In addition, issues related to short sleep, factors affecting sleep, and perceived restfulness were assessed. 820 students from a Midwest university completed four separate monthly e-survey's assessing sleep duration, including time to bed, time to wake, types of sleep disturbance, and perceived restfulness.
The most common reasons listed for sleep inadequacy were studying/school-related work, socializing with friends, leisure activities, and stress. Sleep duration appears to increase over the course of a semester, especially in female students. Less than half of all students reporting feeling rested upon waking, yet the mean sleep duration appears sufficient (~7h 45m). This study points out the importance of sequential data collection regarding sleep duration and that inferring good sleep habits based solely on duration may not be appropriate.
Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/common_college_health_issues/sleep.php University students are regarded as the most sleep-deprived individuals in the country. This could possibly be because most college students do not have regular sleeping patterns. According to a study done in 2001, only 11% of college students get adequate, restful sleep, and over 70% of students have occasional sleep issues. Most people should sleep about 8 hours each night. This rule of thumb is especially true for college students. Cognitive performance is greatly influenced by quality of sleep. Although the amount of sleep required varies from person to person, adequate sleep is still a necessity.
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation among College Students. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2015, from http://www.academia.edu/6538400/The_Effects_of_Sleep_Deprivation_among_College_Students This age of information, sleep deprivation has turned into a chronic issue that has become rampant. It affects everyone, from senior citizens to children, independent of race, gender, or culture. The big question is what is sleep? More importantly, why is it so important to us? What is sleep Deprivation? What causes it and what are the effects of it? The definition of sleep is “a resting state in which an individual becomes relatively quiescent and relatively unaware of the environment.” During this restful state, which is a time of relaxation and rest, most physiological functions like body temperature, blood pressure, and breath rate decrease. Sleep is also a time where your body repairs itself and grows.
Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students | NSS. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 15, 2015, from http://www. dovepress. com/causes-and-consequences-of-sleepiness-among-college-students-peer-reviewed-article-NSS Sleepiness during the daytime, deprivation of sleep, and irregular sleep schedules are extremely common among university students. 50% of students report daytime tiredness, and 70% report that they do not get sufficient sleep. The consequences of deprivation of sleep and daytime tiredness are greatly problematic for university students and often result in lower academic scores, and increased risk of academic failure. This article reviews how prevalent daytime sleepiness and sleep deprivation is among college students. The impact of lack of sleep and sleep disorders on college students’ academics, driving, GPA, and mood are examined in this article. Future research to investigate some interventions, which teach both sleep knowledge, and encourage healthy sleep habits to university students in a time and cost effective manner.