Sleep

The following questions were asked in regard to students’ sleep patterns. This includes their average nightly sleep during the academic year (week and weekend), if they feel sleep deprived, and what the causes of their sleep deprivation come from. They were also asked if they are tired at work/school, how often they are tired there, and if they have fallen asleep in class in the past year.

Academic Year

On average, during the academic year, how many hours of sleep do you get in a typical 24-hour period?¹ Note that for the week days we have (n=371, 91% of 407 reporting). And for the weekends we have (n=372, 91% of 407 reporting).

During the Week (Monday-Friday)

Figure 10.1: Weekday Hours of Sleep Distribution

During the Weekend (Saturday-Sunday)

Figure 10.2: Weekend Hours of Sleep Distribution

During the week, students claim to get an average (denoted by the dotted line) of 6.52 hours per night, with a median of 6 hours. During the weekend, students claim to get an average (denoted by the dotted line) of 7.87 hours per night, with a median of 8 hours. Students get an average of 1.35 more hours of sleep on the weekend versus during the week.

Sleep Deprived

On average, how many times per month do you feel deprived of sleep? (n=367, 90% of 407 reporting). Figure 10.3: Sleep Deprivation Distribution

Students claim that on average they were feeling sleep deprived (denoted by the dotted line) for 10.6 days out of the month, with a median of 7 days per month.

Causes of Sleep Deprivation

Select the activities that cause you to feel deprived of sleep (Select all that apply).

Measure	Yes (%)
Studying or finishing coursework.	325 (90.8%)
Working a paid, unpaid job or internship.	159 (44.4%)
Spending time with family or friends.	134 (37.4%)
Watching movies, playing games, social media etc.	129 (36.0%)
Attending social activities or events.	77 (21.5%)
Other	27 (7.5%)

Table 10.1: Causes of Sleep Deprivation Breakdown

Tired at Work/School

How frequently do you feel tired while at work or school? (n=370, 91% of 407 reporting).

Figure 10.4: Frequency of Tired at Work/School

The most common response that people felt tired at work or school was occasionally (215 people). 111 people claimed that they were always tired, 42 people claimed that they were rarely tired, and 2 people claimed that they were never tired.

Fallen Asleep in Class

Have you fallen asleep in class in the past 12 months? (n=361, 89% of 407 reporting).

Figure 10.5: Fallen Asleep in Class (Past Year)

The majority of students (206 people) claim that they have not fallen asleep in class in the past year, while 155 people claim that they have fallen asleep in class.

This question was developed by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).↩︎