The effect of a sleep hygiene education program on the sleep-wake cycle of Brazilian adolescent students

Adolescents present with sleep timing delay, irregular sleep-wake (SW) schedules and short sleep duration (<7 h) on school days, all resulting from biological and behavioral factors. To minimize this, we evaluated the effect of a school-based sleep hygiene program on the SW cycle, sleep quality and sleepiness in 58 Brazilian adolescent students. The sleep hygiene program lasted a week and consisted of a daily 50 min activity, such as a sleep physiology class, constructing a sleep ontogeny map, discussing the causes and consequences of adolescent short sleep duration and a quiz about sleep hygiene statements. After this, the students showed a reduction in their index of sleep irregularity (represented by standard deviation from bedtime), their sleep latency decreased and their nap-wake up schedule advanced. Their sleep quality and daytime sleepiness showed no difference. The program was effective in reducing sleep irregularity and latency and advancing nap awaking but could be improved and extended to a larger sample to achieve a better evaluation.