A recent study, featured in the Journal of Sleep Research on December 5th, underscored a notable occurrence of sleep issues among young adults, particularly students. The study, conducted by a Norwegian college, assessed university students … Read more
A recent study, featured in the Journal of Sleep Research on December 5th, underscored a notable occurrence of sleep issues among young adults, particularly students. The study, conducted by a Norwegian college, assessed university students over three cohorts: 2010, 2014, and 2018. The results showed that students of both genders typically got less sleep than what is recommended during weekdays, with their sleep duration falling below 7 hours or barely reaching 7 hours. Conversely, during weekends, students managed to fulfill their sleep requirements, averaging around 8.5 hours of sleep, thus adhering to sleep guidelines.
The overall prevalence of insomnia among the students who participated in the study was 34.2% for women and 22.2% for men. From 2010 to 2018, sleep problems increased, and were more pronounced in women than men (30.5% women and 22.6% males). Researchers are worried of the very high and increasing prevalence of insomnia in college students. The results may extend on the mental health crisis many students face today. The lead author of the study and prof. of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Sivertsen, empsaizes that sleep problems are equally important as mental health problems or any other health issues, and that sleep deprivation among college students is a severe public health concern.
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