Correlates of Qualtiy Sleep and Academic Performance

AbstractSleep problems have become epidemic and traditionalresearch has discovered many causes of poor sleep. Thepurpose of this study was to complement existing research byusing a salutogenic or health origins framework to investigatethe correlates of good sleep. The analysis for this study usedthe National College Health Assessment data that included54,111 participants at 71 institutions. Participants wererandomly selected or were in randomly selected classrooms.Results of these analyses indicated that males and femaleswho reported "good sleep" were more likely to have engagedregularly in physical activity, felt less exhausted, weremore likely to have a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI), andalso performed better academically. In addition, good malesleepers experienced less anxiety and had less back pain.Good female sleepers also had fewer abusive relationshipsand fewer broken bones, were more likely to have been non-smokers and were not binge drinkers. Despite the limitationsof this exploratory study, these results are compelling,however they suggest the need for future research to claritythe identified relationships.BackgroundSleep problems in the United States have becomeepidemic (Krishnan & Collop, 2006). Nearly two-thirdsof American adults experience trouble sleeping one ormore nights per week and 10-15% of Americans have beendiagnosed with chronic insomnia (National Sleep Foundation,n.d.; Turkoski, 2006). A recent poll by the National SleepFoundation (National Sleep Foundation, n.d.) found that overhalf of the people in the United States (52%) describe theirsleep habits as not good or poor, raising the question "whatis keeping Americans awake? " Factors that inhibit or preventsleep are generally the focus of traditional research. * Craig M. Becker, PhD; Assistant Professor, Health Educationand Promotion; East Carolina University, School of Healthand Human Performance, 110 Christenbury, Greenville, NC27858; Telephone: 252-328-5312; Fax: 252-328-1285; E-mail:beckerc@ecu.edu; Chapter: At-LargeTroy Adams, PhD; Department of Health Promotion and Wellness;Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, 1622 West820 North, Provo, UT 84601Caroline Orr, BS; Department of Health Education and Promotion;East Carolina University, 110 Christenbury, Greenville, NC27858Lyndsay Quilter, BS; Exercise and Wellness; Arizona StateUniversity, 7350 E. Unity Drive, Mesa, AZ 85212* Corresponding AuthorTraditional research has identified many common causesof inadequate sleep quantity such as family and work demandsand/or poor physical health, (Motivala, Levin, Oxman, I National Sleep Foundation, n.d.) with obesityand overweight being among the leading causes of poor sleep(Kohatsu et al., 2006; National Sleep Foundation; O'Brien,Sitha, Baur, & Waters, 2006). For example, approximately18 million Americans have chronic sleep apnea, a conditionrelated to obesity (Hiestand, Britz, Goldman, & Phillips,2006; National Sleep Foundation). Poor sleep quality also hasbeen associated with higher levels of stress and depression,both of which have a reciprocal negative impact on sleep(Fortunato & Harsh, 2006; Fuligni & Hardway, 2006; Taras& Potts-Datema, 2005). Previous research has focused onvariables related to sleep quantity such as bed/wake time,sleep latency, and nap length/frequency (Buboltz, Jr., Soper,Brown, & Jenkins, 2002; Fortunato & Harsh; Kohatsu et al.,2006; Turkoski, 2006). Findings about factors related to sleep quality indicatedthat these factors vary by age. For example, adolescents reportmore severe sleep-deprivation during the week and indicatemore trouble falling asleep (Fortunato & Harsh, 2006). Factors related to poor sleep with this age group includedcaffeine consumption, stress from schoolwork, depression,and biological factors (Fortunato & Harsh; Fuligni H Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). Unlike younger adults, older adults report frequentwaking, early rising (Mauk, 2005), and nearly a twofoldgreater rate of chronic insomnia as primary sleep problems(Mauk, 2005; Rybarczyk et al., 2005; Sivertsen et al., 2006). Research indicates that some poor sleep quality amongolder adults may be related to illness-related factors such asmedications and conditions such as restless leg syndrome(Mauk; Rybarczyk et al.; Sivertsen et al.). Research has identified college students as a uniquegroup because of their cultural sleep-related challenges(Buboltz, Jr. et al., 2002; Jensen, 2003). Not surprisingly,college students seem to function better when well rested(Buboltz, Jr. et al., 2002; Carney, Edinger, & Meyer, B., etal, 2006; Tsai L, Li S., 2004) because sleep is an enablingcapacity (Trockel, Barnes, & Egget, 2000). Approximately three-quarters of undergraduates reportoccasional sleep problems and over half report feelingtired in the morning (Buboltz, Jr. et al., 2002; Carney et al.,2006). In one study, freshmen reported earlier wake times,which was cited as the primary determinant of reduced sleepquantity, relative to upperclassmen (Tsai L, Li S., 2004). Another study correlating academic performance of first-yearcollege students found that wake-up times accounted for thelargest amount of variance in grade point average (Trockelet al., 2000). Similar relationships between sleep quality andacademic performance have been noted in other research