This topic submitted by Christina McGrath, Stephanie Caprini, Emily Casey, Jessica Ruff ( ruffjm.MUOHIO.EDU ) on 10/9/03 .

Natural Systems 1 Syllabus---Western Program---Miami University

Sleep Patterns in College freshman
Christina McGrath, Stephanie Caprini, Emily Casey, Jessica Ruff
Introduction
Purpose
We hypothesize that freshman will get less sleep than sophomores and upperclassmen because of the newness of their experiences in college. We are defining ÒnewnessÓ through academics, socialization, and the belief of invincibility. Among many alternative hypotheses, two include a.) Sleep is not a matter of oneÕs year, but it just depends on the person; some people get more sleep than others, and b.) The amount of sleep one gets depends on how many credit hours he/she is taking. We do not feel that these other aspects pertain to the correlation we wish to establish between the differences in sleeping patterns of people while they are attending college.
Decision Arrival
Our group had been extremely interested in studying humans. We were curious to discover why humans behave in certain ways during college and the reasons for their actions. The criteria we used to narrow down the topic into a specific question included the fact that we wanted to do something that would immediately pertain to us, and to the rest of the freshman class, and something that occurred on a daily basis. Therefore, we decided to examine peopleÕs sleeping patterns.
While we had hoped to stay on Western Campus, to provide us with a type of controlled environment, we knew that the only kind of relevant data we could collect would be to examine the differences in sleep patterns between majors. We also knew that our data could be skewed if we stuck with that aspect because of the fact that, while the freshman on Western are mixed between Western majors and Architecture/Interior Design majors, the majority of upperclassmen living on Western Campus are Western majors. Therefore, any correlation we wanted to find between majors would be difficult, so we decided to broaden our view and look at all of Miami. When we did so, we realized that we could find sufficient data to support a project examining the differences in sleeping patterns between freshman and everyone else.
Plan to Accomplish
We plan to determine that there is a correlation between oneÕs year in college and the amount of sleep he/she receives. Similarly, we plan to establish that freshman receive less sleep than the rest of the people in college because of te fact that they find themselves in an environment completely different from the one at home, but that as they continue through college they settle in more and then are able to get more sleep because they realize itÕs importance.
Relevance
This research is interesting because it pertains to all freshmen. It will help them to understand many of the pitfalls that freshman face so that they may be able to avoid some of them to ensure they are not so sleep deprived. In addition to just freshman, parents may find it interesting because they can see what types of things their children may be facing upon entering college, as well as current upperclassmen, because they can compare their experiences to our findings and see if they ran into some of the same problems but have been able to overcome them.
Relevance to our Research Question
Literature Review
Not surprisingly, many people have devoted much time to studying humansÕ sleep patterns and the benefits of sleep. Unfortunately, though, many studies conclude the same thing: college students fail to receive sufficient amounts of sleep. According to an article in the Arizona Daily Wildcat, written by Raya Tahan and Bryan Hance, Ònormal sleep patterns are disturbed to handle the extra workloadÓ . In this article, they studied how college studentsÕ workload was affecting their sleeping patterns, and how their sleeping patterns were then affecting their health. They found that students are failing to sleep because of class work or socialization, and that their failure to sleep can result in health problems such as chronic pain, insomnia, weakened immune system and poorer motor skills , stress, or just an overall feeling of being burnt out and weak. It relates to our project because it pinpointed that students are sleeping less in college. However, it did not describe any correlation between oneÕs year in college and the amount of sleep one gets. It simply stated the connection between sleep and health issues. In a similar manner, though, a study done by Shawn D. Youngstedt, Ph.D., for the University of California, San Diego, also found that sleep effects oneÕs health and suggests a remedy: exercise. Dr. Youngstedt found that, while exercise may not effect Òsleep levels in good sleepers, findings indicate it could lead to better sleeping patterns in those who have trouble sleepingÓ . The population in this article, however, was not exclusive to college students, although it relates to our research because it suggests that sleep deprivation is something that can be overcome and avoided, as we suggest happens to upperclassmen.
Gettysburg College also did a study on sleep patterns, with part of their study focusing on college students. It found that Òit is the ordinary lifestyle of a lot of students that is the major enemy of regular healthy sleepÓ because students felt they were ÒÔnight peopleÕÓ . This relates to our topic because we, too, are suggesting that the newness of the college experience is causing freshman to sacrifice sleep, and part of that ÒnewnessÓ is the social aspect, which would tie in the Ònight peopleÓ theme of this research. In addition, this research is related to some of the prior research because it suggests some remedies such as not smoking, not drinking caffeine at night, and even keeping oneÕs bed as the place for sleep and not studying or watching TV or socializing while on it.
Another study, done by psychologist Keith J. Anderson, PhD., suggests that, on average, college students spend anywhere from 100-400 minutes online a day. Thus, the students are sacrificing sleep to stay on the Internet, sometimes receiving less than four hours of sleep a night at least once a week because of it. The relevance is that, in assessing the ÒnewnessÓ of the college experience, we are examining how social and academic aspects affect sleep, and the Internet is commonly used for both purposes.
In a newspaper article written by Howard Markel in the Naples Daily News, Jenny Waller, 21, a student at the University of Michigan, is quoted as saying, ÒÔIn college, your mom isnÕt there to tell you to go to bed . . . within a month I was staying up all nightÕÓ , and is considered, as many college students are, a Ònight owl.Ó Markel wrote that Kansas State University found that college students, in the year 2002, averaged only 6 to 6.9 hours of sleep, whereas students in the 1980s averaged 7 to 7.5 hours a night. Their research also concluded that sleep deprivation affects oneÕs health. Similarly, in another article called ÒSleep on it: Implementing a Relaxation Program into the College Curriculum,Ó Notre Dame college students found many of the same results listed in all of the previous articles. Their research acted as a culmination of all the research we have listed above. The article discussed how studentsÕ workloads are affecting their sleep patterns, how lack of sleep is detrimental to oneÕs health, and how exercise and relaxation may help one to overcome the inability to sleep. One new aspect that they introduced was studentsÕ need to fit employment time into their already complicated schedule, which only hinders their ability to find time to sleep. Also, this article produced the survey used during their research. It is relevant because it encompassed many of the same concepts weÕre using, and their survey asked many of the same questions as ours, including oneÕs gender, major, year in school, and how many hours of sleep received nightly.
In a student study conducted by Aja Varney in 2001 at the University of Vermont, the willingness of college students to give up sleep for other things is extremely obvious. In his graphs, Varney shows that nearly 25% of the students he surveyed would willingly give up sleep if there were not enough hours in the day to do everything, and nearly 55% of those same people admit to staying up too late to watch television or be online. In addition, a study conducted at Seattle Pacific University shows that part of the problem may be the environment of the dorms. It said that many students find trouble sleeping because they are either kept awake or awakened by the noise produced by their roommate, their neighbors, or their hall in general. Thus, his study further proves that which the studies previously mentioned prove, and further relates to our research project.
Another project that compiles all the former articles was written in 2001 at Texas A&M University. Like all the other studies, it discusses the detrimental effects of the lack of sleep and some possible remedies, but it also quickly discusses the concept of napping, which no previous article mentioned. It suggest that, while one may be getting the full eight hours of sleep, a 30-minute power nap is always a good way to revive oneself if he/she is starting to feel sluggish and groggy. This research then directly correlates to a Cornell University study conducted in 1997. That study says, Òmore than 80 percent of college undergraduate students are smart enough to take a nap and help restore their mental and physical powersÓ . Just looking at this study would make anyone assume that college students have no troubles sleeping. However, all of the other research we gathered, and what we have observed and experienced ourselves, completely suggests otherwise. The Cornell study incorporated the same genre of people as all the others - college students - and yet, because they chose to focus on the benefits of napping, their results portrayed a completely different side of college sleeping patterns. We believe that this is important to include in our consideration of how we continue with our project because it proves how vital it is to control for different variables and stay completely focused on our topic. Although they studied, in a broad sense, sleep patterns in college students, they controlled for a variable no one else considered Ð napping Ð and therefore obtained a completely different conclusion.
Larger Issue
Our research relates to many larger questions. It encompasses the question ÒWhat influences human behavior?Ó by attempting to pinpoint the reasons why freshman get less sleep than upperclassmen. In addition, it addresses the issue of how self-aware are humans of their actions and the consequences of those actions because our survey incorporates questions about oneÕs knowledge and concern for how sleep affects health. In the end, we hope that our project will be able to make people better aware of how their actions and decisions affect them.
Experimental Design
Our experimental design will be survey based. We will be measuring how much sleep on average a freshman student or an upperclassman gets. We will also be estimating why it is these students are getting the amounts of sleep they are. Our survey questions should lead us to prove or disprove our hypothesis.
Methods and Materials
There will be surveys given to an equal amount of freshman and non-freshman. These surveys will be designed to ask multiple questions about how much sleep they get on an average week night and then on a weekend night. The surveys will be collected and the data will be organized in data sheets. Should our data present any correlation a more intense mode of study will be used to discover more details, such as a daily log or focus groups. We will be passing out our surveys at 4 different locations: Shriver, Alexander, Bell Tower, Ericson, with an incentive of candy.

SLEEPING SURVEY

Name: ________________________
(Can we contact you for further research?, if yes Phone Number:___________________)

Are you a (Please Circle one): Male Female

What is you major?________________________ # of Credit Hours _______

What year are you in school? Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior.

About how many hours of sleep did you get last night?________

About how many hours of sleep do you get on an average weeknight? ________

About how many hours of sleep do you think you get on a weekend night? ________

Instead of sleeping you areÉ. (Please check all that apply).

□ Studying
□ Talking
□ Watching TV/playing
□ videogames
□ Surfing the Web
□ Other ______________________

Please Circle One (Strongly Agree 10 through Strongly Disagree 1)

I have problems sleeping or a hard time getting to sleep at night.

I feel worried about not getting enough sleep.

I think that lack of sleep will increase my susceptibility to sickness.

I think that lack of sleep will decrease my academic ability.

I donÕt sleep because I am away from my parents and donÕt have to.

I get more sleep or less sleep than you did in high school/ at home.

Upperclassman Only
I am getting more or less sleep than when I was a freshman.

Class Presentation
Pajama Party on 4th floor
Possible time change to 8 or 9:00 Tuesday night
1) Read bedtime story
2) Introduce sleep patterns in college students
3) Let kids get milk and cookies
4) Hand out surveys
5) Group discussion / possible focus group
Timeline
October 24, 2003 Conduct Survey
October 25, 2003 Ð November 6, 2003 Summarize collected Data
November 7, 2003 Ð November 9, 2003 Conduct Focus Groups/ Daily Logs
November 11, 2003 or 13, 2003 Class Presentation/Focus Group
November 10- December 11, 2003 Complete Final Report

Results
We are going to compare the differences we found between freshman and upperclassmen. In addition to the comparison between classes we will be trying to find any other correlations from the data we collected. To do this accurately we will be using Statview and J.M.P. to help us analyze find the best way to display our data.
Conclusion (Questions for now)
1. Do you think there is a better way to collect data besides sitting in different locations?
2. What have other students used their day in class?
3. How do you generate focus group questions?
4. Assuming that the student generated labs are the discovering lab manual can we be group three that goes the week of 11/11? (This will allow the class to be a focus group for our class)
5. How long do you expect the presentation to be?
Bibliography
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March97/drowsy.hrs.html
http://www.naplesnews.com/03/09/neapolitan/d960229a.htm
http://www.uvm.edu/~avarney/sleep_deprivation.htm
http://www.gettysburg.edu/college_life/counseling/sleep.html
http://www.apa.org/monitor/may01/internetdep.html
http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/old-wildcats/fall95/November/November27,1995/07_1_m.html
http://www.acsm.org/publications/newsreleases2003/exercisesleep060603.htm
http://agnews.tamu.edu/dailynews/stories/CFAM/Jul2001a.htm
http://www.nd.edu/~frswrite/mcpartlin/2003/gutierrez.shtml
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/library/weekly/aa042200a.htm
http://www.inform.umd.edu/News/Diamondback/archives/2002/12/03/news8.html