The Effects of Changes in Sleep Schedule Variability on First-Year College Students

Abstract

College students are known for having poor sleep and irregular sleep schedules, especially during the first year of college. These sleep habits may contribute to poor academic outcomes down the line, as well as increased risk of developing depression and other disorders. The current study aims to look at the degree of change in sleep variability between high school and college and examine its relationship with mood, emotion regulation, and academic performance. The study also aims to explore the relationship between morningness-eveningness tendencies and academic performance, emotion regulation, and sleep variability, reported both at baseline (as perceived by the students) and over 7 days of daily sleep diaries. Additionally, the study is designed to look at day-to-day effects of sleep on mood. Data were obtained from 311 college freshmen (237 females). Participants were 17-19 years old (M=18.4) and freshmen in college. The study took place over one baseline internet-based session and a week of internet-based daily questionnaires. While students had significantly more variable schedules in college than in high school, this change did not correlate with or predict any measures of interest, including sleep quality, grades, and mood. However, overall variability, as well as eveningness, was associated with a number of negative outcomes, including lower GPA, less adaptive emotion regulation strategies, worse mood, and more depression symptoms.