Sleep on college and university campuses

Abstract

Sleep quality and quantity has been documented as a challenge for college students with reports indicating impacts on daytime functioning and academic achievement. The need for, and impacts of, sleep differs by populations. Men and women report different sleep concerns as do athletes, along with undergraduate and graduate students. There are interventions and prevention activities to promote positive sleep behaviors and skill development. Most efforts are concentrated in the area of intervention, with primary prevention frequently ignored. Sleep education, if it exists on a campus, is working against a deep set of ingrained myths. Though many examples of strategies to address sleep among students can be found, most lack a depth of evaluation data to support the purported outcomes. Many opportunities exist to leverage environmental interventions to support sleep, though these may not align with other perceived needs of students.