The Relationship Between Sleep Quality, Stress and Academic Performance in University Students.
University students are renowned for their sub-optimal sleeping habits and high stress levels and it is estimated that approximately 27% of student’s report suffering from a sleep related disorder (Gaultney, 2010). Sleep is an essential biological function that aids in recover, and learning and memory consolidation (Walker & Stickgold, 2004). A lack of sleep quality has been considered to have a strong relationship with a variety of negative consequences that include increased stress levels, psychological disorders and reduced academic performance (Fortunato & Harsh, 2006; Marhefka, 2011). The relationship between stress and sleep quality is thought to be bi-directional, meaning stress influences sleep quality and vice versa (Lund et al. 2010). Stress can be a behavioural or psychological reaction characterised by internal turmoil that has the potential to impair daily life functioning. Even in minor forms stress has the potential to reduce cognitive function, judgement and insight, all which are thought to be essential for a student’s success (Arnsten & Shansky, 2004). University factors that may influence stress levels may come from assignment deadlines, not understanding concepts and moratorium about the future. For the purpose of this study stress will be measured as either high or low in accordance to the DASS-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1994). The University environment is undoubtedly competitive and this has the potential to place large amounts of pressure on students to succeed. This pressure can often result in stress due to the impact that a student’s grades can have on them being accepted into post-graduate program...
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...literature appears to indicate an interdimensional relationship between academic performance, sleep quality and stress. However, a concern within the literature is a lack of follow ups and to my knowledge no studies have focused on academic performance, sleep quality and stress with an Australian University sample. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between sleep quality, stress and academic performance and to determine what is the best predictor of academic performance using an Australian University sample. It was hypothesised that there will be a strong correlation between sleep quality and stress. It was also hypothesised that higher stress levels will be associated with lower GPA scores. Lastly, it was hypothesised that there will be a difference between high stress individuals and low stress individuals on academic performance.
Stress is the biggest factor for sleeping disorders. A lot of students have trouble sleeping at night because of stress. Their workload, financial worries, and self-esteem give them stress through out the day keeping them up at night when they are trying to sleep. In a study done by Chen, Lee, Rogers, and Wuertz (2013), 103 female college students sleeping patterns were studied in relation to stress. It was found that most of them experienced three nights with bad sleep a week and 68% of them were classified as insomniacs (p. 854). Because of this the female’s who participated also reported
Sleep loss and shifting sleep patterns are known to be widespread across college campuses throughout the United States and the world at large. Yet, while many studies exist relating sleep to performance, a much smaller amount of studies focus on the Through analysis of these sources as they would prove useful when researching and writing upon the idea of sleep and its correlation to academic performance it was found that a paper titled “Sleep-Wake Patterns and Academic Performance in University Students”, which was presented to the European Conference on Educational Research, is overall the most useful source represented to research the topic.
This is also proven by a study, which shows that students who perform worse on their exams seem to be more stressed and suffer from poor sleep quality (Ahrberg, Dresler, Niedermaier, Steiger, & Genzel, 2012). For instance, student A is a freshman at Ball State University. This student only sleeps for 6 hours because of bad sleeping habits and later on he sleeps for only 4 hours because of the new environment which has many factors that affect his sleep schedule such as social life, school activities or extracurricular activities. Then sleep deprivation is starting to affect him. He have a test the next day and studied the whole night and only slept for 2 hours. The next day, while he was having the test, he started to feel very tired, sleepy and stressed. He couldn’t concentrate on the test so he failed the test. He started to feel more stressed because of bad grades which might make him take the course again. He couldn’t sleep for more than 4 hours and these bad cycle repeats. Moreover, high stress could also affect the emotion of the students. It can also cause depression which can significantly decrease the academic performance and grade point average of a student. Stress caused by sleep deprivation can really have a big effect on
Researchers have found a way to connect sleep with education. Gary Scarpello who wrote "Lack Of Sleep Could Be Trouble For CTE Students” , did a research study with liberty mutual showed that teens had an average of 7.2 hours of sleep on school nights and 33 to 75 % of all students have sleep problems. In the article it had stated that not getting enough sleep can cause impaired hand eyed coordination, reaction time and brief mental lapses. (Scarpello). The same researchers also found out that Sleep helps restores brain functions such as alertness, metabolism, and memory and regulate hormones (Scarpello). Researchers Mary A. Carskardon and A.R. Wolfson studied 3,120 Rhode Island children. They had figured out that college students who slept more than nine hours a night had a gr...
Many college students are affected by sleep deprivation. Our youth have yet come to realize how much sleep plays a valuable role in one’s day. Some causes of sleep deprivation ranges from stress to poor time management. Scientifically speaking, “sleep deprivation exists when sleep is insufficient to support adequate alertness, performance, and health, either because of reduced total sleep time or fragmentation of sleep by brief arousals.” (Pressman) Most college students are unaware that lack of sleep cause many of their illnesses. College students that are sleep deprived usually suffer from a range of psychiatric symptoms. I surveyed 8 people at Alabama State University and out of those 8, 6 of the participants were sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation can be extremely harmful to college students and has loads of negative effects.
The effects of sleep deprivation at the physical and mental level are not the only issue; students are having
College students are no exception to the rule and are often at a greater risk of suffering from conditions that accompany sleep deprivation. Regardless of the time period, a college student must be well rested in order to perform at his or her best in terms of physical performance, memorization capabilities, and test-taking abilities. Also, without adequate sleep, the person will be more susceptible to illnesses, both mental and physical. In conclusion, I believe that sleep deprivation among college students is extremely common and has a direct effect on how well that student performs or feels.
Introduction Sleep studies have been conducted since as early as 1913. However, the impact of school start times on student academics is often overlooked by most schools. In reality, start times can significantly affect academic performance by disrupting adolescents' normal sleep cycle, leading to a lack of sleep that impairs learning, and hindering academic performance. These theories have been tested through sleep studies, and most of them have been found to be true. Sleep Cycle Changes When children transition from primary school to middle or high school, it can significantly affect their learning due to changes in their sleep cycle.
Sleep has always been a popular subject among humans. There have been many studies that examine sleep and its correlation with a wide variety of variables, such as depression, energy levels, and grades. Students, as a group, are widely studied. As the world’s future leaders and thinkers, there is great importance placed on their achievements. In this study the effect of student sleep habits on perceived academic performance is investigated. Many things may affect students’ academic success among these variables are sleep habits.
A survey was done to find out that “stress might be getting in the way of sleep”. The survey was towards young adults who received less than the required amount of sleep, which is seven to nine hours of sleep a night. These adults received roughly 6.7 hours of sleep a night. A majority of the group reported that stress caused them to not be able to get a good nights rest. They would lie on their bed, wide-awake and have their minds running constantly thinking and
Sleep plays a vital role in a person’s mental well-being. Sleeping affects how well people think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. While a person is sleeping, his brain is preparing to help him learn and remember information. A good night’s sleep enhances learning and problem solving skills. It is very important for the students to have sound sleep as it can improve their concentration, memory and creativity. Furthermore, having enough sleep increases the ability to m...
Preliminary Thesis Statement: Sleep deprivation has detrimental effects on the health and academic performance of students.
Rehoming, a term originally meant for animals, is now commonly used for adopted children who are no longer wanted. Rehoming used in this way implies that whenever parents are either unable to care for their children, or when they are simply unwanted, they pass them off to anyone who is willing to take them. The federal Children’s Bureau estimates that 10 to 20 percent of all adoptions fail, most often with older children (Cousins). According to Tina Traster, writer for New York newspaper, The Daily Beast, “There are instances in which private rehoming works out fine and is the best solution for the struggling family and the children” (Traster). While rehoming was meant to help struggling parents, many people have exploited this system.
Suen, L.K., Hon, K.L. & Tam, W.W. (2008). Association between sleep behavior and sleep-related factors among university students in Hong Kong. Chronobiology International, 25, 760-775.
Gregory.J.R, Frazer.H. (1986). An Academic Stress Scale: Identification and Rated Importance Of Academic Stressors, 59, 2-6.