How Did You Sleep?: Effects of an Individualized Sleep Hygiene Intervention Program on College Students’ Sleep

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to test an individualized sleep hygiene intervention designed by the investigator for college students experiencing poor quality sleep. The intervention was intended to assess for problem areas, teach components of sleep hygiene, and, through incorporation of components of motivational interviewing, motivate participants to change their sleep related behaviors in an effort to increase subjective sleep quality. The study’s design included two treatment groups, one who received the individualized intervention and another that received only an education component, and a control group. Individuals in the individualized intervention group met once a week for four weeks with the investigator individually to discuss sleep habits and progress towards change, and completed sleep diaries each week that served as personalized feedback. Participants receiving the education component heard a 50-minute lecture on the importance of sleep and sleep hygiene. All participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale, and Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure at least twice throughout the study. The results showed few significant differences between the three groups at the end of the study, contrary to one hypothesis. However, the individual intervention group did achieve positive changes on their sleep outcomes over the course of the intervention. Additionally, when considered on a participant by participant basis, these individuals were largely successful in making progress towards their specific sleep related goals, supporting some of the hypotheses. This study marks an important first step in designing an individualized intervention for college students to motivate behavior change and produce significant changes in their sleep habits and overall sleep quality.