USF Sleep Study

By, Marco Soto

Abstract: The Study consisted of a 25 question survey inquiring into the sleep behaviors of first-year college students living within and outside of the University of South Florida campus. Imbedded in the survey are questions inquiring into other aspects of student living including exercise routines, and student satisfaction with academia and study. Findings generated from the study hint at a voluntary tendency among students to ignore healthy sleep patterns of 7-8 hours per night as indicated in the study Sleep Quality vs. Quantity, (Picher et al.). Findings show a population devoid of the sleep disorder insomnia, nor ever receiving medical attention for unhealthy sleep. Regardless 60 percent of females and 27 percent of males sleep a total of 6 hours or less nightly. Introduction: There exist multitudinous effects of sleep deprivation upon the health and well-being of the individual; in the study Partial Night Sleep Deprivation Reduces Natural Killer and Cellular Immune Responses in Humans a correlate was explored between sleeplessness and the human bodys immunological response. Evidently, even modest sleep deprivation was found to decrease functional natural killer cell activity, natural immune response, and T cytokine production (Irwin et al. 4). A mirror study under the title Suppression of Immunity to Influenza Virus Infection in the Respiratory Tract following Sleep Disturbance saw a seven hour sleep deprivation period cause immunological impairment and the retardation of antibody production of a rodent sample toward viral influenza particles (Irwin et al 6). Sustained sleep loss produced a lethal outcome with sample death attributable to septicemia and systemic infection wrought from secondary bacterial infections (Irwin et al 7).

There is also strong documentation of the cognitive detriments brought by sleep deprivation. In the study Moderate Sleep Deprivation Produces Impairments in Cognitive and Motor Performance, sleep deprivation periods of 17- 19 hours caused cognitive impairment equivalent to intoxication with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05 percent; further sleep deprivation induced impairment equitable to a BAC of 0.1 percent (Williamson et al. 1). Evidently the sample at these levels of impairment showed depression in both motor and mental capacities, with hand-eye coordination decreasing by 31 percent and grammatical reasoning and memory decreasing by 9-10 percent (Williamson et al. 4). Several studies conducted into effects of sleep deprivation amongst college student shave followed the same vein. In the study Health-Relate Variables and Academic Performances among First-Year College Students: Implication for Sleep and Other Variables a delay in average sleep times amongst college students correlated with a decrease in Grade Point Average (GPA) of .132 point per each hour delayed (Trockel et al. 4). Similarly, the study Relationship between Sleep Length and GPA among College Students, observed the performance of students expressing three different sleep behaviors; long sleepers (sleeping over eight hours), regular sleepers (sleeping 7-8 hours) and short sleepers (sleeping 6 hours or less). Of the group, long sleepers held the highest GPA scores, with a group mean of 3.24, while short sleepers held the lowest GPA scores, with a group mean of 2.74. To my knowledge there lacks a study of similar nature conducted upon students attending the University of South Florida. To compensate I conducted a study of my own into the relationship between sleep and well-being of students. The study focused upon first year students as they the most likely to be affected by the rigors, responsibilities, and liberties that compose the college environment. There is a possibility among first year college students of maladjustment that may

result in hardship within subsequent years of enrollment. Thus a study may be necessary to identify behaviors that are being brought into the university campus and what effect they may present to the current student body. Methods: The procedure in which the study acquired data was basic and singular. Students were asked to complete a 25 question survey that inquired into students sleep quality, habits and behaviors relating to sleep, and satisfaction with academia and study. All manner of data collection was dealt exclusively through the survey with minimal inquiry taken by the researching party, i.e. myself; with exception to a preliminary question inquiring into respondents current year of enrollment, as the sole focus of my study were first-year students. No efforts were taken to affect the nature of the sample, with no observable independent variable input taken to generate an uncalled consequence. The only adjustment made unto materials were subsequent efforts taken upon receiving completed survey to indicate time date and order in which survey was received, as well as gender of respondent. Results: Results were numerous and be accessed in the following links. Report deals specifically with responses gathered from either male or female responses. Male: http://www.scribd.com/doc/114975337/Data-Report-M Female: http://www.scribd.com/doc/114975415/Data-Report-F

Discussion: Data generated illustrate the first-year student sample as both relatively healthy and sane. For example of responding students, both male and female, nearly zero percent suffered from a clinically diagnosed form of insomnia, nor admitted to ever receiving medication or medical assistance for poor or disrupted sleep. Regardless, the study also found nearly 48 percent of male and female students admit to sleeping an average of six hours or less per night, while nearly 28 percent of female students and 26 percent of male students indicated sleeping five hours or less. Such behavior deviates from the medically prescribed nightly sleep periods of 7-8 hours, as indicated by the article Sleep Quality versus Quantity (Pilcher et al. 5). The voluntary nature of freshman students to forego irregular sleep patterns is problematic with no added benefit for such behavior; instead many students are subjected to various adverse consequences. For instance, the study found 77 percent of males and 93 percent of females acknowledged attending classes while exhausted. Consequentially, student also admitted wasting class or lecture periods due to fatigue with 40 percent of freshman males and 73 percent of freshman females acknowledging such unproductivity. The study also illuminates the psychological detriments of sleep deficiency showing nearly 25 to 27 percent of first-year students, males and females, feel depressed, anxious, or generally distressed. Furthermore of students who indicated feeling distressed 80 percent of the females and 40 percent of males also slept an average of 6 hours or less per night. The physical and mental detriments observed in the study show sleeplessness, extended over any period of time, will eventually tax and burden the academic careers of unhealthy students.

Work Cited:

Trockel, Michael T., Barnes, Douglas R., and Sadowsky, Brigette. Health-Related Variables and Academic Performances among First-Year College students: Implications for Sleep and other Variables. Tandfonline.com. Taylor and Francis Online, 24 March 2012. Web. 20 November 2012 Kelly, William E., Kelly, Kathryn E., and Clanton, Robert C.. Relationship between Sleep Length and GPA among College Students. Freepatantsonline.com. IP Research and Communities, 1 March 2001. Web. 20 November 2012. Pilcher, June, Ginter, Douglas R., and Sadowsky, Brigette. Sleep Quality versus Quantity: Relationship between Sleep and Measures of Health, Well-Being and Sleeplessness in College Students. Sciencedirect.com. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, June 2007. Web. 20 November 2012.