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Updated: May 30, 2026

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
The state of sleep among college students at a large public university
Kathryn M Orzech1, David B Salafsky, Lee Ann Hamilton
1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Sleep for Science Research Laboratory, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA. kathryn orzech@brown.edu
Objective:
Data about college student sleep were collected and used to develop an education campaign to improve sleep.
Participants:
On-campus residents at a large state university were surveyed on 4 occasions, October 2005 to April 2007. Sample size was 675 to 1,823 students. Fall 2005 mean age = 18.5 years, SD = 1.03 (range 18-30) years. Initial survey included 935 males and 1,859 females (2005-2006). Matched pairs data (2006-2007) included 91 males and 107 females. Twenty-six males and 22 females participated in interviews.
Methods:
A survey administered online included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, along with an 8-question in-person interview.
Results:
Poor sleep interacted with academics and mental health, and an education campaign positively affected student sleep.
Conclusions:
Teaching students how to effectively manage sleep can improve their well-being. Sleep may also be a gateway topic for health care professionals to address sensitive health issues such as depression.
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