Cross-Sectional Survey of Sleep Practices of Australian University Students

Background and Aim

Sleep insufficiency is often associated with the life of a university student, yet it is well known that inadequate sleep can have a negative impact on physical and mental health and be detrimental to cognitive skills for learning. The aim of this study was to replicate a Canadian study to survey university student sleep practices, the way in which students address any sleep issues, and the students’ preferred method to receive targeted sleep information.

Methods

An anonymous on-line survey was promoted to all enrolled students at one Australian University in August 2017.

Results

In total, 601 students responded to the survey. One third indicated that they had insufficient sleep (less than 6.5 hrs). Almost two thirds reported a perception of not getting sufficient sleep. There was a significant association between the reported number of sleep hours, and the perception of high-quality sleep. Strategies to get to sleep included the use of social media which is counter to best practice in sleep hygiene.

Conclusion

The study supports the need for education about sleep health coupled with stress management to better the demands of student life.

Keywords:

• higher education
• college
• tertiary education
• sleep

Data Sharing Statement

Data can be accessed at https://ro.ecu.edu.au/datasets/40/Doi:10.25958/5cc293b7045d1.

Acknowledgment

This study was supported by an internal university grant for covering the costs to publish in open access.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.