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Nursing Students' Sleep and Chronotype: A Comparison Across Majors
Tracy Trevorrow1, Spencer Scanlan, Alexandra Zingarelli
1Author Affiliations: Center for Medical Psychology, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii (Dr Trevorrow); Brigham Young University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii (Dr Scanlan); and DePaul University of Chicago, Illinois (Ms Zingarelli).
Nurse Educator
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Nursing students report poorer sleep quality and less sleep than other college majors, indicating potential issues with nursing program structures. Addressing these challenges is crucial for student well-being and academic success.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Sleep Science
- Higher Education
Background:
- Nursing students face significant risks of inadequate sleep.
- Poor sleep negatively impacts health, academic performance, and clinical practice.
- Existing research lacks comparisons between nursing students and other majors regarding sleep and chronotype.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare sleep quality and chronotype between nursing students and students from other academic majors.
- To identify factors contributing to sleep disturbances in nursing students.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 4915 undergraduate students, including 1302 nursing students.
- Administered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index annually from 2013 to 2025.
- Compared sleep parameters between nursing students and a control group of non-nursing majors.
Main Results:
- Nursing students reported significantly less sleep and poorer sleep quality compared to other majors.
- Nursing students experienced increased fatigue and less daytime enthusiasm.
- A trend towards earlier awakening was observed in nursing students.
Conclusions:
- Inadequate sleep in nursing students is likely linked to program-specific challenges, including academic load and scheduling.
- Individual characteristics or general college life do not fully explain the observed sleep deficits.
- Reforming nursing program structures is recommended to mitigate barriers to healthy sleep for students.
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