Impact of a sleep course on sleep, mood and anxiety symptoms in college students: A pilot study

ABSTRACT

Objective: To examine the impact of a sleep course on sleep-related behaviors, mood, and anxiety in college students. Participants: Participants were 145 students enrolled in either the sleep course (n = 70) or a psychology course (n = 75); data were collected in September 2014, November 2014, and February 2015. Methods: Sleep characteristics and symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed using validated questionnaires and sleep logs. Linear, logistic and proportional odds regression models were used to test course effects. Results: In November, sleep course students reported significant differences in sleep hygiene (SHI; p < .001), perceived sleep latency (PSQI; p < .05), and circadian sleep phase (MEQ; p < .05), compared to controls. In February, the sleep course students maintained most of the aforementioned gains and reported fewer symptoms of depression (CES-D; p = .05) and anxiety (BAI; p < .05). Conclusions: These positive preliminary results indicate that focused education has the potential to improve sleep among college students.

KEYWORDS:

• Anxiety
• college students
• depression
• mental health
• sleep behaviors

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Francisco Xavier Castellanos, M.D., Indu Ayappa, Ph.D., and David Rapoport, M.D., for their assistance on this project.

Conflict of interest disclosure

Argelinda Baroni, Jean-Marie Bruzzese, Christina A. Di Bartolo, and Adam Ciarleglio have no conflicts of interest to report. Jess P. Shatkin has no conflicts of interest but receives royalties from publisher W. W. Norton & Co., and Tarcher Perigee for books on unrelated topics. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of New York University School of Medicine.

Funding

Argelinda Baroni, MD, thanks the Leon Levy Foundation for supporting this work.