Research proposal is a form of written communication used to request approval and funding for research and in my research proposal I urge for research on the effects of lost periods of sleep on university students wellbeing. The proposal includes the purpose, scientific background, methods and anticipated beneficial outcomes of the research.
Pulling an All-Nighter? Think again. Understanding Sleep Trajectories of Undergraduate Students
Introduction
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that includes difficulty falling asleep and can cause lack of focus, irritability, and slow activity (Yilmaz & Kugu 2022). University students are most likely to face stress and anxiety thus making them a vulnerable group for insomnia. Oftentimes, undergraduate students are used to pulling all-nighters and risking sleep in their short-term school years/semesters usually for studying and deadlines of final exams.
There is a need for research on the impact of periods of lost sleep on the health outcomes in late life because the health outcomes of sleep in adulthood have been unexamined with very few studies examining long-term impacts. Some studies have suggested that poor sleep as a child can cause health consequences such as attention deficiencies, emotional issues, metabolic dysfunction and substance related issues in young adulthood. However, current studies are majorly based on the impact of sleep over specific, short time periods and thus doesn’t look at long-term trajectory nor capture the developmental changes in sleep that occur in adolescence and its connection to health outcomes. Sleep studies have paid attention to how sleep problems during a specific period have consequences over the same period, and do not look at the consequences in later periods of life (McVeigh et. al, 2021). There is also limited longitudinal data conducted of childhood and adult health associations on sleep.
The objective of this research is to understand if the body is able to readjust after periods of lost sleep and how these patterns of sleep deprivation can then have lasting health outcomes for individuals in later life. If a longitudinal study is done analyzing the undergraduates who underwent lost periods of sleep in their university years, then results may reveal that this can have permanent, damaging effects on their physical body. The topic of investigating the impacts of sleep behavior of young people is significant because it can explain the physical and mental outcomes faced in adulthood. Understanding how poor sleep behaviors develop can reveal the behaviors over a life-course and the persistence of specific sleep habits across generations.
Background
Previous studies have analyzed how disturbances in sleep habits have shown to have a harmful effect on the performance of human beings. In 2001, King Edward Medical University researched the impact of different sleeping patterns that can influence the academic performance of medical students (Buboltz et. al, 2001). The 6-month descriptive study with a cohort of 1350 students was used to evaluate sleeping patterns and performance in school. Results found that there were common sleeping patterns followed by students depending on their ability in school. Most students showed to have a reduced number of hours of sleep throughout their years at college. The results showed that different patterns of sleep do not affect the academic performance of medical students (Buboltz et. al, 2001). However, over 2 decades later, Annals of Medical Research published a study that revealed that sleep levels do in fact affect the mental and physical wellbeing of college students. The study investigated the prevalence of sleep deprivation among college students and the correlation of having sleep disorders to students’ levels of stress, anxiety, depression, personality attributes, and quality of life. 856 students completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) along with insomnia, personality and depression and anxiety evaluations. It found that there was a 12.1% prevalence of insomnia among university students (Yilmaz & Kugu, 2022). University students at the greatest risk for insomnia were seen to have recently begun college, had disability, smoked, stayed in dorms, had poor diets, or had more technology time. Additionally, university students with insomnia had scored lower in mental health, energy, social function, and physical function than the students without (Yilmaz & Kugu, 2022). Thus, by 2022, insomnia has become more common within university students than it was 20 years ago, and the students who have insomnia are commonly associated with depression, anxiety levels and lower quality of life. Along with the rise of insomnia in 2022, headaches and migraines have shown to become more prevalent, with migraines being 26.35% common among university students and 25.3% of those with migraines being unaware they were facing migraines (Ruston et.al, 2022). The most significant triggers of migraines were sleep deprivation followed by stress and then hunger/skipping meals. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) serves as a common methodology used in both older and current studies to analyze sleep evaluations of students. The most recent study in investigating sleep quality in college populations which used the PSQI was towards 397 students from Islamabad University and revealed that while 33.5% of students have good amounts of sleep, the majority of students, 66.5%, are facing poor sleep quality (Zahoor et.al, 2023). Researchers have also considered long-term impacts of poor sleep from childhood years, creating a gap of the long-term impacts seen from university years. Present research has analyzed whether the trajectory of sleep behavior over critical periods of childhood could be associated with the mental health seen in young adulthood. Through a study of children ages 1-27 from King Edward Memorial Hospital, researchers demonstrated that individuals who had minimal sleep problems had better physical and mental health outcomes at age 20, whereas those who had persistent sleep issues had worse physical and mental health outcomes. (McVeigh et. al, 2021).
Methods
Buboltz Jr, W. C., Brown, F., & Soper, B. (2001). Sleep Habits and Patterns of College Students: A Preliminary Study. Journal of American College Health, 50(3), 131. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1080/07448480109596017
Disturbances in sleep habits have shown to have an effect on the performance of human beings, however analyzing the sleeping patterns can promote performance have been ignored. This study investigated the impact of different sleeping patterns that can influence the academic performance of medical students. The research used a 6-month descriptive study with the cohort consisting of 1350 students at King Edward Medical University. Participants took a questionnaire that evaluated their sleeping patterns and performance in school. The results found that there were common sleeping patterns followed by students depending on their ability in school. Most students showed to have a reduced number of hours of sleep throughout their years at college. The most common sleep pattern seen in all students was midnight to six in the morning with a nap in the afternoon. The results showed that different patterns of sleep times do not affect the academic performance of medical students. This study is important because it showed that the timing of sleep may not have an impact on a student’s academic achievements, but it can depend on numerous factors of life and health.
McVeigh, J. A., Smith, A., Howie, E. K., Stamatakis, E., Ding, D., Cistulli, P. A., Eastwood, P., & Straker, L. (2021). Developmental trajectories of sleep during childhood and adolescence are related to health in young adulthood. Acta Paediatrica, 110(8), 2435–2444. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1111/apa.15911
This study aimed to analyze whether the trajectory of sleep behavior over critical periods of childhood could be associated with the mental health seen in young adulthood. This study was conducted by comparing measures of physical and mental health between sleep trajectories with linear models at age 20. A cohort of children born at the public antenatal clinic at King Edward Memorial Hospital and private clinics were assessed at birth and from different age points from age 1 to age 27 using questionnaires and physical assessments. The results showed that participants who had minimal sleep problems had better physical and mental health outcomes at age 20, whereas those who had declining and persistent sleep problems had worse physical and mental health outcomes. Thus poor sleep behavior in childhood and teenage years is associated with poorer health outcomes in young adulthood. The topic of investigating the impacts of sleep behavior of young people is significant because it can explain the physical and mental outcomes faced in adulthood. Understanding how poor sleep behaviors develop can reveal the behaviors over a life-course and the persistence of specific sleep habits across childhood. It is important to the research of sleep deprivation of college students because it highlights how poor sleep behaviors have long-term consequences that impact health outcomes.
Rustom, A., Audi, F., Al Samsam, H., Nour, R., Mursi, A. M., & Mahmoud, I. (2022). Migraine awareness, prevalence, triggers, and impact on university students: a cross-sectional study. Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry & Neurosurgery, 58(1), 1–7. https://doiorg.ccnyproxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1186/s41983-022-00555-w
This study aimed to research the awareness, the prevalence and the consequences of migraines on university students. A cross-sectional study was utilized where a self-administered questionnaire was taken by 400 college students from all majors at the University of Sharjah. Migraine diagnosis was made by referencing the International Headache Society (IHS) requirements and the impact on quality of life through the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) score. The results revealed that migraines were 26.35% common among university students with 25.3% of those with migraines being unaware they were facing migraines. The most common triggers of migraines were sleep deprivation followed by stress and then hunger/skipping meals. The most common symptom of migraine attack were one side headache followed by pulsating headache. Many students with migraines were also associated with having moderate to severe disabilities. This study is important because it shows that migraines are common among college students, with some students being unaware of it. Migraines impact students’ focus, health, and productivity and thus college students are at risk for long-term health issues.
Yilmaz, Y., & Kugu, N. (2022). The prevalence of insomnia in university students and its relationship with quality of life: A university sample. Annals of Medical of Research, 29(9), 981–989.
Sleep deprivation has been linked to declining health and this study investigated how prevalent sleep deprivation and sleep problems were among college students and the correlation of having sleep disorders to students’ levels of stress, anxiety, depression, personality attributes, and quality of life. The study involved 856 students who completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Sociodemographic Data form, and those with large PSQI scores (greater than or equal to 6) conducted a second interview and psychiatric interview. Two groups were formed: students diagnosed with insomnia and the control group with both groups completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised /Abbreviated form (EPQR-S), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and the short form-36 (SF-36). The results revealed that there was a 12.1% prevalence of insomnia among university students. Those who recently began college, had disability, smoked, stayed in dorms, had poor diets, or had more technology time, were more commonly seen to have insomnia. Those in the insomnia group had scored lower in mental health, energy, social function, and physical function than the control group. This study is essential because it reveals how insomnia is common within university students and the students who have insomnia are commonly associated with depression, anxiety levels and lower quality of life.
Zahoor, M., Waqar, S., Kawish, A. B., Ume-Sughra, Mashhadi, S. F., & Shahzad, A. (2023). Sleep Quality and Its Possible Predictors Among University Students of Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal, 73(1), 164–168. https://doi-org.ccnyproxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.51253/pafmj.v73i1.7814
This study assessed the quality of sleep among Islamabad university students and found the causes of poor sleep quality. The researchers did a cross-sectional analytical study of 397 students from all four faculties in Capital University of Science and technology over the course of 5 months. The sleep quality was measured through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The results showed that 33.5% of students have good amounts of sleep, with a majority of 66.5% of students facing bad sleep according to the PSQI. There also showed a statistically significant correlation between sleep quality and gadget use, large and heavy meals, sleeping in noisy rooms and neighborhood, etc and can be signifiers of poor sleep. This study is important because it revealed that the majority of University students are not getting enough sleep or are facing sleep issues.
Outcomes
Furthermore, the proposed research aims to understand if the body is able to readjust after periods of lost sleep in university students and how these patterns of sleep deprivation can then have lasting health outcomes for individuals in later life. These sources support the hypothesis that undergraduates who underwent lost periods of sleep in their university years, can result in permanent, damaging effects on their physical body. Previous studies have shown the resulting health consequences of poor sleep quality and this supports the hypothesis because it shows that sleep behaviors and inadequate sleep behaviors performed by undergraduate students have worsened mental and physical performance. Sources reveal that college students are a vulnerable group for sleep disorders due to prevalence of migraines, insomnia and poor sleep patterns as a result of stress and thus the research proposal is important because it urges the need to assist students in encouraging health promoting factors. Future research targeted to understand if the body can readjust after periods of lost sleep in university students is crucial because it reveals whether the years of college are critical periods in one’s life. This research can be very beneficial because understanding how poor sleep behaviors are sustained can reveal the behaviors over a life-course, to better treat the prevalence of sleep disorders and insomnia, promote resources to establish healthy sleeping behaviors, and ultimately to prevent long-term health risks.
References:
Getty Images (2022, March 1). [Untitled illustration of an individual unable to sleep]. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/treating-insomnia-may-head-off-depression
