Obligations and Behaviors That Impact Sleep in Prelicensure Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Nursing students have obligations and behaviors that impact sleep.

The purpose of this study was to investigate sleep among prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students and describe factors that impact their sleep quality and daytime sleepiness.

Prelicensure nursing students (n = 254) completed questionnaires that included demographics; obligations and behaviors that always, sometimes, or never caused sleep loss on a daily or weekly basis; the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; the Epworth Sleepiness Scale; and the Sleep Hygiene Index.

College classes were the most frequent reason why participants always lost sleep. Obligations of work, classes, and technology use into the night significantly predicted sleep hygiene; obligations of work, family, activity with friends, and classes significantly predicted sleep quality.

There is a need for education about behaviors and obligations that impact sleep in undergraduate nursing students, along with resources to assist in coping with external stressors.