Sleep Quality and Daytime Sleepiness in Prelicensure Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Background: Nursing students need to learn about sleep health to provide safe patient care. The purpose of this study was to investigate sleep in nursing students and describe factors that affect their sleep. Method: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design with a convenience sample from baccalaureate nursing programs in a midwestern region of the United States. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and Sleep Hygiene Index. Results: Two hundred fifty-four nursing students reported poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and maladaptive sleep hygiene, regardless of their year of study or enrollment status. Behavior of technology use into the night was the most frequent reason why students lost sleep. Conclusion: Learning the importance of sleep hygiene, good sleep quality, and the associated health benefits may assist nursing students with achieving optimal daytime functioning. Consideration should be given to sleep health content as a thread through nursing curriculum.

Automated summary

This study investigated the sleep patterns of nursing students and found that many students experienced poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and maladaptive sleep hygiene. The main reason for sleep disturbance was identified as technology use into the night. It is suggested that sleep health content should be included in nursing curriculum to help students achieve optimal daytime functioning.