Sleep difficulties and academic performance in Norwegian higher education students

Abstract

Self-reported sleep difficulties are associated with poorer objective markers of academic outcomes as well as poorer self-rated academic proficiency among higher education students. Amelioration of sleep difficulties may improve overall academic performance and health outcomes in affected students.

Insomnia, sleep duration and academic performance: a national survey of Norwegian college and university students

“…The finding that insomnia was associated with failed study examinations are in line with those of the previous SHoT survey from 2014, where a single item measuring DIMS was associated with failing several examinations [16]. The present study support and further expand on these findings, and provides additional specificity with regards to an approximation of the DSM-5 insomnia disorder.…”

“…One item on DIMS was omitted from the composite score and replaced with the mean of the remaining items, thereby preserving the recommended total score to enable comparison with other studies. Reliability analyses of HSCL-25 (without the sleep item) yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.93, which is comparable to previous psychometric assessments of this modified scale [16].…”

“…These outcomes are relevant not only for the students and their career prospects, but from a socioeconomic perspective failed exams and delayed study progress leads to a direct economic loss to society [15]. A large population-based study that included more than 13,000 college/ university students in Norway demonstrated a doseeresponse relationship between difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS) and delayed study progress and having failed several examinations [16]. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has examined a more stringent evaluation of disturbed sleep based on an approximation of the DSM-5 criteria for insomnia among college students, and how this relates to the risk of delayed study progress and having failed examinations.…”

Cohort profile: the SHoT-study, a national health and well-being survey of Norwegian university students

“…In addition, some key findings from the SHoT2014 have been published in peer-reviewed international journals: Examining the psychometric properties of the included measure of mental health problems, the Hopkins Symptoms Check List (HSCL-25),14 Skogen et al concluded that a unidimensional model was most appropriate for HSCL-25 in student populations 15. Investigating sleep problems in college students, Hayley et al found that difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep was linked to increased risk of both social and emotional loneliness,16 as well as poorer academic outcomes and poorer self-rated academic proficiency 17. And focusing on the introductory week offered by most Norwegian higher education institutions, Myrtveit et al found that 7 of 10 students were satisfied with the introductory week, and that participation in the event was associated with better social integration, although some felt excluded due to the amount of alcohol involved 18 19…”

Sleep patterns and insomnia in young adults: A national survey of Norwegian university students

“…epidemiology, sleep disturbance, student, trend 1 | INTRODUCTION Short sleep duration and insomnia have both been highlighted as major public health problems (Barnes & Drake, 2015). The high rate of sleep problems (Gress-Smith, Roubinov, Andreotti, Compas, & Luecken, 2015;Hayley, Skogen, Overland et al, 2015), and the wide range of well-demonstrated consequences for both mental (Glozier et al, 2010;Stefan, Juranko, Prosoli, Baric, & Sporis, 2017) and physical health (Hasler et al, 2004;Kecklund & Axelsson, 2016), as well as impaired function (Hayley, Sivertsen, Hysing, Vedaa, & Overland, 2017), have led to increased awareness of the importance of getting sufficient goodquality sleep.…”