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Effects of Sleep on Students

Literature Review

Naomi Berkovits

Professor Leah Israeli

Psych 450

November 26, 2022

Introduction

Students tend to not get the adequate amount of sleep that they need. Research studied the effects

of sleep deprivation on students. The research done studies the effect of sleep on a students’ mental

health as well as their physical health. When a student has the correct amount of sleep it affects them

positively, when they do not get enough sleep, researchers show how it affects them negatively.

Research Question:

Do college students who experience sleep deprivation report more conflict in relationships and

social interactions than students who experience normal sleeping patterns?

Academic Performance/Memory

The performance in academics and affect sleep has on memory has been proved and studied by

researchers. A study was done to test the effects of schools with earlier start times versus those who

start later. They studied both middle school and elementary school children. This study indicated that

children who started earlier didn’t get to bed earlier. Instead, they lost out on an average of 37 minutes

of sleep. The students who started earlier were more sluggish and tired throughout the day. They also

tended to have a harder time retaining the information they learned. This study showed that starting

late is better for both adolescents and elementary school children. (Keller, 2015)

A study was conducted to determine the effects of short-term sleep deprivation on rats. They

studied REM sleep since different stages of sleep are known to affect different parts of our memory

and brain. They discovered that short term sleep loss can cause issues with delayed conditioned

memory. This makes a big difference is a student’s ability to focus and achieve. (Tripathi, 2016)

Mental Health and Relationships

Sleep has an affect on students’ relationships, and their overall mental health. There was a

certain study done over a 3-year period. It studies college age students and determines the effect of

sleep on three different areas. The areas included intrapersonal adjustments, quality of friendships, and

academic achievement. This study showed that only intrapersonal adjustments had direct correlation

with sleep quality. Although, studies show that people who sleep more hang out with their friends

more. This has no correlation to positive or negative friendships. (Tavernier, 2014)

This study was done on 250 female university students in the University of Medical Science. In

Yazd. These women were studied to determine the relationship between their quality of sleep and their

state of mental health. This included stress, anxiety, and depression. More than half of the women who

didn’t get the proper amount of sleep in were not in a good place emotionally and mentally. (Farzaneh,

2018)

Physical Health

Besides for sleep influencing students mentally, it is researched and proven how sleep has affect

on physical health as well. An article studies the various contributing factors in teenagers lack of sleep.

They include biological reasons, peer interaction and technology. The article goes on to mention all the

areas that are affected by this deficiency. Those who sleep 25 minutes less on a school night get C’s

and D’s. the students who dsleep more gets A’s and B’s. Most car accidents are as a result of drowsy

driving. Since most accidents happen between 2:00 and 4:00 am for high school students, this can

point to the danger of teenagers not sleeping. Additionally, the new information that students are

learning are unable to be processed and leads to memory issues. (Bryant, 2015)
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Effects of Sleep on Students

Researchers wanted to prove how lack of sleep can negatively affect the physical well-being of

teenagers. This study was done on two groups of college students. One group was told to sleep

properly and the other was told to stay up all night. They were then tested physically and cognitively.

Those that were sleep deprived were likely to drive more dangerously similar to driving drunk. The

students who were sleep deprived showed a slower reaction time. Overall, the physical symptoms of

lack of sleep were more prevalent than the cognitive ones. (Patrick, 2017)

Researchers have proven that lack of sleep will directly influence a possible increase in obesity,

and other psychical health issues. A study was done to see the sleep patterns of 4th and 5th grade

students. They were studied over weekdays and weekends. Children were not getting the required 9

hours of sleep for their age. This is concerning since sleep is critical for children brain develop. Lack

of sleep for children has been linked to obesity and diabetes. These children also have “social jet lag”

which is a misalignment of hours slept on weekdays and weekends. This can lead to depression,

obesity, and an elevated heart rate. (Li, 2019)

A study was done on nursing students and their hard schedules. Nursing students sleep around 5-

6 hours a night and don’t function properly. Most of them admitted to almost getting into a serious car

accident after a 12-hour shift. They also take caffeine and other stimulants which can lead to

addictions. 90% of college aged students who enter rehab admit to trying something like this to stay

awake. Overtired nursing students are a risk for both themselves and the people they work with.

Gap in Research/Literature

Throughout my research I found many different reactions to a lack of sleep-in students. I could

not find any research correlating sleep deprivation with social issues. It seems pretty clear that sleep
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Effects of Sleep on Students

deprivation would affect relationships and social interaction but there was limited research discussing

this topic.

Conclusion

Researchers have made it quite clear that sleep plays a tremendous role in cognitive and

psychical development. Sleep deprivation takes a toll on many students, from children to adults. The

literature that has been published and studies that have been conducted show the outcome of sleep on

proper functioning.
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Effects of Sleep on Students

References

Bryant, N., Gomez, R. (2015). The Teen Sleep Loss Epidemic: What Can Be Done?. Translational

Issues in Psychological Science. Vol. 1, No. 1, 116 – 125.

Farzaneh, F., Momayyezi, M., & Lotfi, M. H. (2018). Relationship between quality of sleep and

mental health in female students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences (2015).

Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health.

Keller, P. S., Smith, O. A., Gilbert, L.R. (2015). Earlier School Start Times as a Risk Factor for Poor

School Performance: An Examination of Public Elementary Schools in the Commonwealth of

Kentucky. Journal of Educational Psychology. Vol. 107, No. 1 236 – 245.

Li, A., Chen, S., Quan, S. F., Silva, G. E., Ackerman, C., Powers, L. S., Roveda, J. M., & Perfect, M.

M. (2020). Sleep patterns and sleep deprivation recorded by actigraphy in 4th-grade and 5th-

grade students. Sleep Medicine, 67, 191–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.12.001

Meldrum, R.C., Restivo, E. 2014). The behavioral and health consequences of sleep deprivation

among U.S. high school students: Relative deprivation matters. Preventative Medicine. Vol. 63,

24-28.

Patrick, Y., Lee, A., et al. (2017). Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive and physical performance

in university students. Sleep and Biological Rhythms. 217 -225.

Tavernier, R., Willough., T. (2014). Bidirectional Associations Between Sleep (Quality and Duration)

and Psychosocial Functioning Across the Univerisity Years. Developmental Psychology. Vol.

50, No. 3, 674 – 682.

Thomas, C.M., Mcintosh, C.E. et al., (2017). Sleep deprivation in nursing students: The negative

impact for quality and safety. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice. Vol. 7, No. 5.

Tripathi, S., Jha, S. K. (2016). Short-Term Total Sleep Deprivation Alters Delay-Conditioned Memory

in the Rat. Behavioral Neuroscience. Vol. 130, No. #, 325-335.