0122 Sleep Hygiene Education Intervention: Sleep Factors and Cognition in College Students

Abstract

Introduction: College students often struggle to adjust to the demanding nature of college life, which can translate to decreased overall health and poor sleep. Healthy sleep practices are important for obtaining good sleep quality and quantity, leading to optimal cognitive performance. Interventions, including educational approaches to improve sleep in college students, may lead to better concentration, memory retention, and subsequent academic performance. The focus of the current study was to examine habitual sleep habits in college students, provide a brief educational intervention, and investigate potential changes in sleep and cognition. Methods: Participants included 14 undergraduate students (6 men, average age M=20.64 years, SD=2.13) who wore wrist actigraphs to measure their typical sleep habits. After one week, participants completed questionnaires about sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, ESS), and fatigue (Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale, MAF). Participants also completed cognitive tests (Stroop, Digit Span, and Simple Reaction Time). Subjects participated in a short lecture about healthy sleep hygiene habits and the importance of sleep and then repeated the one-week observational study. Results: Paired sample t-tests revealed a significant increase from baseline average sleep duration (M=5.83 hours) to post-intervention sleep duration (6.64 hours; t(13)=-2.532, p=.013). Sleep efficiency (actigraphy) and quality (PSQI) did not improve significantly. ESS scores decreased significantly (t(13)=3.76, p=.002 (pre M=9.29; post M=5.43) and MAF scores decreased significantly (t(13)=2.19, p=.047 (pre M=20.48; post M=15.60). A difference in reaction times for Stroop incongruent prompts approached significance (p=.083, pre M=979.46; post M=884.70), but no differences were found for errors, Digit Span, or Simple Reaction Times. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that one educational lecture about sleep hygiene may be a start to improving sleep in college students. Even a 48-minute increase resulted in decreased sleepiness and fatigue. However, no improvements were found in sleep quality or efficiency. Although a slight improvement was found in reaction time, no other cognitive benefits were noted. More research should be conducted on how to improve sleep habits in college students beyond an educational approach.