Sleep quality and sleep behavior of students during the COVID-19 pandemic
Implications for prevention
Introduction
Sleep as a regenerative process is not only an essential component of mental and physical health, but also significantly contributes to overall performance. If the quality of sleep suffers this can be associated with poorer mental well-being and additional stress factors. Pandemic-related online learning led to increased screen use, especially in the evening and nighttime hours, which can exacerbate psychological distress. The aim of the study was to analyze the sleep quality of students during the semester with exclusively online teaching sessions. In addition, the aim was to identify potentially sleep-disturbing factors and to establish possible connections to psychological stress. The use of sleep-preventive measures is also surveyed for future interventions.
Methods
In the summer semester of 2021, 319 students voluntarily and anonymously participated in the online survey. Of these, 216 complete records were included in the evaluation. Sociodemographic questionnaires, screen questionnaires, the current mood scale (ASTS), the pre-sleep arousal scale (PSAS) and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) were used.
Results
Sleep quality is impaired in 69 procent of the students. Evening screen use led significantly more often to emotional and cognitive activation, with poor sleepers being significantly more prone to negative thoughts and emotions. Significant group differences were also found in the use of relaxation methods, with poorly sleeping students using these more often.
Discussion
Long periods of screen use, especially in the evening, can lead to emotional and cognitive activation and thus to reduced sleep quality; however, in addition to screen use other sleep-impairing factors were identified that need to be taken into account in future health promotion programs at universities. The students who subjectively assessed their sleep as impaired also stated more frequently that they used relaxation techniques. Sleep prevention programs and the promotion of the mental health of students play an increasingly more important role at colleges and universities in Germany.
