0190 Academic Performance Associated with Sleep Duration among Student Athletes: Impact of Insomnia, Fatigue, and Depression

Abstract

Introduction: Poor sleep is linked to neurocognitive deficits which in turn may translate into poor academic performance. In this study, we evaluated how sleep duration, insomnia, fatigue, and depression may impact GPA. Methods: Data were collected from N=189 NCAA Division-1 student athletes across 13 different sports (46% women). Overall GPA category was self-reported (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D). Sleep duration as assessed as habitual nightly total sleep time in 15-minute increments. Insomnia was assessed with the Insomnia Severity Index. Fatigue was assessed with the Fatigue Severity Scale. Depression was assessed with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Ordinal logistic regression assessed likelihood of a directional change in GPA level associated with sleep duration, insomnia, fatigue, and depression, adjusted for age and sex. Post-hoc analyses examined significant factors together in a combined model. Results: Habitual sleep duration was associated with improved GPA, such that every extra hour of sleep was associated with a 39.5% increased likelihood of an increase in GPA level (95%CI[1.12,1.74], p=0.003). Neither insomnia nor fatigue were associated with GPA. Depression was associated such that each CESD point was associated with a decreased likelihood of a higher GPA (OR=0.94, 95%CI[0.91,0.98), p=0.001). When sleep duration and depression were combined, both remained significant, with increasing sleep duration associated with an increased likelihood of a higher GPA (OR=1.29, 95%CI[1.02,1.63], p=0.031) and depression associated with a decreased likelihood (OR=0.96, 95%CI[0.92,0.99], p=0.014). Conclusion: There was a positive relationship between sleep duration and an increase in GPA level. Also, higher depression score is associated with a decrease in GPA. When both depression and sleep duration were evaluated together, they both remained significant with their relationship to GPA.