Benefits of Sleep for Undergraduate Students’ Academic Performance

ABSTRACT

The study and importance of sleep for physical health has intensified. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of sleep behaviors on academic performance among undergraduate students and to examine two groups: hospitality students and shift workers. An online survey was used to collect data from 240 students, including 62 hospitality students and 86 shift workers. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance. Of the 240 participants, three quarters delayed their sleep–wake schedule on weekends, half did not achieve their sleep requirements, and one fifth reported poor sleep quality. Participants who maintained a consistent sleep schedule and/or got enough sleep had a grade point average 0.28 to 0.52 points higher than those who did not. No difference in sleep behaviors was found between hospitality and nonhospitality students or between shift workers and nonshift workers. This suggests that the same sleep problems may exist across student groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic performance
• hospitality student
• shift worker
• sleep