The state of sleep among college students at a large public university

Objective: Data about college student sleep were collected
and used to develop an education campaign to improve sleep.
Participants: On-campus residents at a large state university were
surveyed on 4 occasions, October 2005 to April 2007. Sample size
was 675 to 1,823 students. Fall 2005 mean age = 18.5 years, SD
= 1.03 (range 18–30) years. Initial survey included 935 males and
1,859 females (2005–2006). Matched pairs data (2006–2007) included
91 males and 107 females. Twenty-six males and 22 females
participated in interviews. Methods: A survey administered online
included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, along with an
8-question in-person interview. Results: Poor sleep interacted with
academics and mental health, and an education campaign positively
affected student sleep. Conclusions: Teaching students how to effectively
manage sleep can improve their well-being. Sleep may
also be a gateway topic for health care professionals to address
sensitive health issues such as depression.