Still Counting Sheep? Are College Students at Risk for Sleep Disorders?

Abstract

Background:

Sleep disorders (SD) are known to affect daily function and impact various aspects of life. Almost 70% of college students worldwide report having insomnia and almost 10% have sleep-disordered breathing. These SD have been associated with poor mental health and impaired academic performance. Mental health disorders, such as anxiety, can further deteriorate sleep quality. This study was designed to evaluate the presence of sleep disorders in a group of college students in the U.S.

Methods:

For this cross-sectional study, a 25-question survey including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-items scale (GAD-7) was created and distributed via email and social media from February to April 2024 to university students around the U.S. IRB approval was obtained. Data collected included answers to general sleep quality questions and demographics. Microsoft Excel was used to analyze data using descriptive statistics.

Results:

A total of 121 students with a median age of 25 years old (range 20-46) responded to the survey. Of these, 53% were Hispanic and 23% Caucasian. Majority were female (80%), graduate students (67.7%), rarely drink (61.9%), and have never smoked (91%). When asked about sleep, 74% reported having problems to sleep. Similarly, 59% of graduate students and 45% of undergraduate students answered having more than 4 days of poor sleep per week and 82% reported feeling generally stressed. Almost 60% felt that stress was affecting their school performance while 80% indicated that poor sleep affected different areas of their life, especially the lack of energy, and school performance. Students also indicated having difficulty falling asleep (59%), and 97% take 10 min to 1 h to fall asleep, using sleeping aids medication like melatonin to help falling asleep (42%). While only 5.3% reported a previous diagnosis of with a SD, a moderate correlation was observed between mild to severe ESS and GAD-7 score (r = 0.39 P = .05).

Conclusions:

According to the results of this study, a significant number of college students report sleep disorders. These SD are associated with high levels of stress and appear to significantly impact their school performance, energy levels, mood, and personal relationships. Academic institutions should use this information to implement initiatives and intervention strategies to assess and offer support to students with sleep disorders and minimize complications such as sleep-disordered breathing.