Daytime sleepiness, sleep deprivation, and irregular sleep schedules are highly prevalent among college students, as 50% report daytime sleepiness and 70% attain insufficient sleep. The consequences of sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness are especially problematic to college students and can result in lower grade point averages, increased risk of academic failure, compromised learning, impaired mood, and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. This article reviews the current prevalence of sleepiness and sleep deprivation among college students, contributing factors for sleep deprivation, and the role of sleep in learning and memory. The impact of sleep and sleep disorders on academics, grade point average, driving, and mood will be examined. Most importantly, effective and viable interventions to decrease sleepiness and sleep deprivation through sleep education classes, online programs, encouragement of naps, and adjustment of class time will be reviewed. This paper highlights that addressing sleep issues, which are not often considered as a risk factor for depression and academic failure, should be encouraged. Promotion of university and college policies and class schedules that encourage healthy and adequate sleep could have a significant impact on the sleep, learning, and health of college students. Future research to investigate effective and feasible interventions, which disseminate both sleep knowledge and encouragement of healthy sleep habits to college students in a time and cost effective manner, is a priority.

Purpose in life has been linked with better mental health, physical health, and health behaviors, but the association between purpose and sleep is understudied. Sleep disturbances increase with age and as the number of older adults rapidly increases, it is ever more important to identify modifiable factors that are associated with reduced incidence of sleep disturbances. We used multiple logistic regression models and data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50, to examine whether higher purpose was linked with a reduced incidence of sleep disturbances. Among 4144 respondents reporting minimal or no sleep disturbances at baseline, higher purpose was associated with a lower incidence of sleep disturbances over the 4-year follow-up. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, each unit increase in purpose (on a six-point scale) was associated with a 16 % reduced odds of developing sleep disturbances (OR 0.84, 95 % CI 0.77-0.92). The association between purpose and sleep disturbances remained after adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, psychological, and health covariates. Should future research replicate our findings, this area of research may lead to innovative efforts that improve the quality of sleep in older adults.

A brief and personalized online sleep education intervention improved sleep behaviors, sleep quality, and depressions scores. This novel approach to address sleep deprivation, poor sleep habits, and mood among college students may offer an effective and inexpensive remedy.

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The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) commissioned a Workgroup to develop quality measures for the care of patients with narcolepsy. Following a comprehensive literature search, 306 publications were found addressing quality care or measures. Strength of association was graded between proposed process measures and desired outcomes. Following the AASM process for quality measure development, we identifi ed three outcomes (including one outcome measure) and seven process measures. The fi rst desired outcome was to reduce excessive daytime sleepiness by employing two process measures: quantifying sleepiness and initiating treatment. The second outcome was to improve the accuracy of diagnosis by employing the two process measures: completing both a comprehensive sleep history and an objective sleep assessment. The third outcome was to reduce adverse events through three steps: ensuring treatment follow-up, documenting medical comorbidities, and documenting safety measures counseling. All narcolepsy measures described in this report were developed by the Narcolepsy Quality Measures Workgroup and approved by the AASM Quality Measures Task Force and the AASM Board of Directors. The AASM recommends the use of these measures as part of quality improvement programs that will enhance the ability to improve care for patients with narcolepsy. N arcolepsy is one of the most intriguing causes of excessive daytime sleepiness. Narcolepsy (with cataplexy) affects approximately 25-50 per 100,000 people in the US. 1 The prevalence of narcolepsy without cataplexy is higher still, yet the disorder remains under-recognized and under-diagnosed. Presently, narcolepsy treatment varies due to a heterogeneous presentation of symptoms and severity of disease among patients. Although narcolepsy is uncommon compared to other sleep disorders, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) included it in the quality measure process because it is a disorder that generally results in signifi cant daily dysfunction when not appropriately treated. The quality measures described in this position paper include children and adolescents in the targeted patient population, as 40% to 50% of adult patients report onset of symptoms before age 15 years. 2,3 However, the Workgroup notes limitations in diagnostic testing and lack of level 1 evidence-based treatment studies in the pediatric population. Because of the paucity of clinical trials and FDA-approved treatments for narcolepsy for both pediatric and adult patients, the Workgroup believed that it was imperative to include off-label options in treatment plans.The International Classifi cation of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition (ICSD-3) was used as the narcolepsy diagnostic reference. The ICSD-3 subdivides narcolepsy into type 1 and 2, with type 1 characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, hypocretin defi ciency syndrome, and signs of REM-sleep dissociation (e.g., cataplexy, hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, sleep paralysis) and type 2 characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and ...