Relationship of Sleep Hygiene Awareness, Sleep Hygiene Practices, and Sleep Quality in University Students

Abstract

College students are known for their variable sleep schedules. Such schedules, along with other common student practices (eg, alcohol and caffeine consumption), are associated with poor sleep hygiene. Researchers have demonstrated in clinical populations that improving sleep hygiene knowledge and practices is an effective treatment for insomnia. However, researchers who have examined relationships between sleep hygiene and practices in nonclinical samples and overall sleep quality have produced inconsistent findings, perhaps because of questionable measures. In this study, the authors used psychometrically sound instruments to examine these variables and to counter the shortcomings in previous investigations. Their findings suggest that knowledge of sleep hygiene is related to sleep practices, which, in turn, is related to overall sleep quality. The data from their regression modeling indicated that variable sleep schedules, going to bed thirsty, environmental noise, and worrying while falling asleep contribute to poor sleep quality.

Index Terms:

• habits
• hygiene
• quality
• sleep
• students

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Franklin C. Brown

At the time this work was completed, all of the authors were with Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, where Dr Brown was a doctoral candidate, Dr Buboltz is director of training, and Dr Soper is a professor in the Department of Psychology. Dr Brown is now a postdoctoral neuropsychology fellow at Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, New Hampshire.