Reinforcing sleep education with behavioral change strategies: intervention effects on sleep timing, sleep duration, and academic performance
摘要
Sleep education programs are emerging in university settings, but educating students about sleep health does not always change nighttime behaviors. A potential solution for bridging this knowledge-behavior gap is to incorporate behavioral change techniques into sleep education programs. This study’s objective was to test the implementation intention technique in students completing an academically-demanding gateway course for medical career paths.
Methods:Participants were undergraduate students enrolled in organic chemistry courses (n = 101, 64.4% females, 51.5% nonwhite). After completing baseline questionnaires and actigraphy monitoring, participants took the Sleep 101 educational program. They were randomly assigned to an Education-Only condition or to also form an implementation intention (combining sleep education with an implementation intention strategy [Education+II]). Education+II individuals formed specific plans to go to bed earlier for the next 5 school nights. Participants repeated questionnaires at midsemester (mean = 50.33 days) and next-semester (mean = 248.51 days) follow-ups. Academic performance records were extracted prior to the study, during the study semester, and during the following semester.
Results:Following the educational program, both groups reported improvements in sleep quality, but only Education+II participants showed actigraphy-measured improvements in bedtimes and sleep duration. Some effects in the Education+II condition persisted at midsemester and next-semester follow-ups. Adjusting for prior academic performance, the Education+II condition showed worse academic outcomes initially (but not long term) than the Education-Only condition, particularly among students with evening circadian preferences.
Conclusions:Incorporating behavioral change strategies into sleep education programs can improve sleep outcomes. The relationship between sleep and academic performance is complex in demanding academic programs.
Citation:Barley BK, Scullin MK. Reinforcing sleep education with behavioral change strategies: intervention effects on sleep timing, sleep duration, and academic performance. J Clin Sleep Med. 2025;21(10):1697–1707.