Coping with Sleep Disturbances Among Young Adults: A Survey of First-Year College Students in Taiwan

Abstract

Sleep problems are highly prevalent among young adults and affect different aspects of their quality of life. In this study, the authors aimed to investigate the young adults' coping strategies for these sleep disturbances and the effectiveness of the coping strategies upon sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. The subjects included 1,922 first-year college students, 44% of whom reported experiencing sleep problems, with insufficient sleep being the most common complaint (23.9%). Taking naps and adjusting sleep schedules were the coping strategies associated with better sleep quality. On the other hand, subjects who reported attempting a sleep-promoting activity, ignoring their sleep problems altogether, or trying unsuccessfully to find a way of coping with their sleep problems reported a poorer sleep quality. Although some coping strategies were associated with better sleep quality than others, the levels of daytime sleepiness were equally impaired in all coping groups to a degree that is equivalent to the sleepiness in patients with a moderate sleep-related breathing disorder.

Key Words:

• college students
• coping strategies
• sleep
• sleep disturbances

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Feng-Hwa Lu

Dr Yang is with Fu Jen University, Department of Psychology, Taipei County, Taiwan. Ms Hsieh and Mr Liu are with the National Cheng-Kung University, Department of Behavioral Medicine, Tainan, Taiwan. Dr Wu and Lu are with the National Cheng-Kung University, Department of Family Medicine, Tainan, Taiwan.