Sleeping Habits & Physical Health: Students’ Perception

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Hypothesis and Research Questions
Data Collection, Representation, and Analysis
Discussion and Conclusion
References

Introduction

The proposed research is focused on how students view sleeping habits and their effects on physical health. The importance of the study is justified by the fact that sleeping can affect the well-being, academic success, and health of individuals. For this reason, the improved understanding of their behaviors will help students to increase the quality of their lives. The following literature review creates the theoretical framework by highlighting such aspects as health, academic activity, and well-being.

The existing body of literature acknowledges the outstanding importance of sleep and its impact on various spheres of human activity. Adriansen et al. (2017) assume that inadequate sleep patterns have multiple effects on students’ health, academic performance, and well-being. In most cases, learners know this fact and do not deny the significance of this factor; however, they still give little attention to sleep and do not prioritize it as one of their central responsibilities during their studying (Adriansen et al., 2017). For this reason, their physical health might suffer. The purpose of the research conducted by Adriansen et al. (2017) was to outline the sleeping patterns and how college students view them. Using the survey as the data collection tool, the investigators state that most students do not have appropriate sleep habits, although they agree that their academic success and physical health suffer because of the lack of sleep. 77% of respondents report that they have the desire to sleep during the day and make at least one-hour naps. It means that they might have an insufficient amount of sleep affecting their lives.

Toscano-Hermoso et al. (2020) support the idea that sleep habits are vital for students’ physical health, quality of life, and academic performance. In their study among 855 students, they assessed the quality of their sleep, attitudes to this issue, and problems associated with low sleep quality. The researchers conclude that the inability to follow a special schedule and have enough time for rest critically affects the state of students, especially in stressful periods and during exams (Toscano-Hermoso et al., 2020). Respondents acquired a higher frequency of nightmares and reported overall tiredness, and inability to reach high academic scores (Toscano-Hermoso et al., 2020). It means that there is a direct correlation between students’ physical health and the amount and quality of their sleep. At the same time, most respondents agree that the lack of sleep can cause some problems in the future; however, they are still not able to reconsider their habits to attain some improvement in this sphere. In such a way, the given research supports the idea offered by Adriansen et al. (2017) in their study and contributes to the further investigation of the given problem.

Finally, Wunsch et al. (2017) analyze the problem of sleep from another perspective. The researchers take the popular hypothesis that physical activity can mitigate the negative effects of academic stress on the health of students Wunsch et al., 2017). At the same time, a significant number of students believe that their regular engagement in physical activities can help to diminish the adverse effects of insufficient sleep, high tiredness levels, and stress (Wunsch et al., 2017). Using surveys as a data collection tool, Wunsch et al. (2017) asked students about their sleep quality, activity levels, and academic successes. The results demonstrate that physical activity can buffer the negative effects of stress and poor sleep caused by health-related outcomes (Wunsch et al., 2017). However, the results also show a dangerous misbelief that exercising might also help to compensate for the lack of rest (Wunsch et al., 2017). It means that realizing the importance of appropriate sleep patterns, students might still have incorrect visions of how to align their behaviors to attain desired outcomes.

Altogether, the literature review proves the critical importance of sleep and the multiple effects it has on the health of students, their physical states, and academic performance. The majority of students might have a correct understanding of the importance of sleep; however, they still devote little attention to this aspect of their lives, which means that there is a need for further research on students’ perceptions of sleeping habits and how their impact health.

Hypothesis and Research Questions

Hypothesis

The investigation of the selected topic presupposes formulation of the hypothesis and research question that should impact the choice of the research methodology, data collection, and data analysis methods. For this reason, a hypothesis plays a critical role in the study and affects its outcomes (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The proposed assumption rests on the information acquired from the literature review and is created to improve the overall understanding of the issue of concern:

Positive changes in students’ perception of their sleeping habits can have positive effects on their physical health.

The given hypothesis rests on several important factors. First, most investigators agree that learners devoted little attention to the quality of their sleep, although they know its significance. It results in multiple health problems and decreased academic performance. Second, the demonstration of negative effects helps to increase awareness levels and attain better outcomes. Under these conditions, cultivating a better perception among this cohort, it is possible to enhance their health and avoid serious complications in the future.

Research Questions

The research questions are formulated regarding the purpose of the research and the hypothesis offered above. They are vital for choosing the following direction for the investigation and acquiring relevant findings. For this reason, the following research questions are formulated:

What are students’ perceptions about how sleeping habits affect their physical health?
How do students evaluate their current sleeping patterns and the effects they have on their current states?
What effects might positive changes in students’ awareness regarding sleeping habits have on their physical health?
What factors affect students’ perception of sleeping habits?

Answering these questions demand collecting relevant and personal data from students about their current visions, attitudes, and experiences. At the same time, they will help to either prove or refute the hypothesis formulated above and conclude about how learners view the given problem and what progress can be made by working with this cohort and explaining all factors linked to the issue.

Research Design

The nature of the formulated hypothesis and research question presupposes the use of qualitative research design. First, it will help to collect the personal data of students and create the basis for cogitations and analysis (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Second, qualitative tools are more effective when working with real-life experiences and attitudes of people involved in the research (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). As far as the study is focused on assessing how students view sleeping patterns regarding physical health, the use of this paradigm seems an advantageous way to gather information demanded to answer the research questions formulated above and acquire credible results.

Regarding the choice of the qualitative paradigm, a survey becomes one of the first tools employed for the research. It is a practical method to work with targeted populations and investigate their experiences or ideas linked to a particular phenomenon (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Moreover, for the convenience of participants and researchers, online surveys can be used (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). It will also help to include the demanded number of respondents with specific characteristics, such as age and involvement in studying activities. In such a way, a survey among the selected group is one of the first data collection tools employed in the course of the study.

To prove the hypothesis, an experiment can be used as another method. Assuming that students with a better vision of sleeping patterns’ importance might have improved physical states, it is vital to test this statement. The experiment presupposes creating two groups to compare results (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Students belonging to the first group will be explained the importance of appropriate sleep habits and provided with guidelines on how to behave to have a sufficient amount of sleep. Participants from the second group will adhere to their usual lifestyles. After an outlined period (1 month), the results of both groups can be compared using reports provided by individuals. It will show whether improvement in knowledge of sleep patterns can help to promote positive outcomes and help learners to avoid deterioration of their physical health, academic performance, and activity levels. Altogether, using these two approaches, it is possible to collect the data needed to answer the research questions and discuss the hypothesis.

Data Collection, Representation, and Analysis

Data Collection

As stated previously, the survey is viewed as the major data collection tool used for the project. It can be distributed online, which increases its convenience and reduces the costs needed to perform the investigation. Moreover, surveys provide an opportunity to ask multiple questions about a subject of interest and collect a broad range of different data, such as attitudes, experiences, and knowledge (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). For this reason, using surveys distributed among participants, it is possible to gather facts and information vital for the research and conclude about the current students’ perceptions of sleep patterns and their impact on the quality of their lives and physical health. Reports provided by students can also be used as a data collection tool useful for the research.

Data Analysis

The collected data is analyzed by using several approaches. First, content analysis is employed to analyze the current attitudes of students and their representations of healthy sleep patterns, their effect on physical health, and awareness levels. The use of this method will help to outline the most common beliefs among students, structure them, and conclude about the existence of specific correlations between representations and outcomes (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The narrative and grounded theory analysis are also employed to prove or refute the hypothesis using the results of findings and data provided by students in surveys. The use of these methods will contribute to the increased credibility of findings and their use for concluding.

Data Representation

The acquired data can be presented by using tables to visualize findings. The most common beliefs and attitudes among students will be included in tables and structured to improve the current understanding of a situation and how certain representations precondition the emergence of undesired outcomes among students. Additionally, the collected data can be represented in terms of the offered hypothesis to prove it and state that the changes in awareness levels might have an overall positive effect on students’ lives and the quality of their studying. In such a way, data representation will help to enhance the current vision of the situation and issue under concern.

Discussion and Conclusion

Altogether, the relevance of the selected topic comes from the importance of sleep patterns and the multiple effects they have on students, their physical health, and their learning capabilities. The body of research proves the correlation between appropriate sleep and well-being levels and quality of life. The authors state that although students may realize that it is vital to have a good sleep, they still devote little attention to this aspect. Under these conditions, the given research improves the current vision of the problem and delves into the question of students’ perceptions of sleep patterns and their impact on their health.

It is expected that the research conducted among the target audience consisting of students will prove the positive correlation between the positive changes in learners’ ideas and their physical health. At the same time, by answering the research questions formulated above, the conclusion about the positive changes in students’ awareness can be made. The importance of the research comes from the relevance of the investigated topic and the high level of stress peculiar to students, especially during exams. It also creates the basis for future research devoted to the same problem, as the health of this group is a critical determinant of the nation’s ability to evolve and remain healthy.

References

Adriansen, R., Childers, A., Abraham, S., & Yoder, T. (2017). Sleeping habits and perception of its health effects among college students.International Journal of Studies in Nursing, 2(2), 28-36. Web.

Creswell, J., & Creswell, D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5^th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Toscano-Hermoso, M., Arbinaga, F., Fernandez-Ozcorta, E., Gomez-Salgado, J., Ruiz-Frutos, C. (2020). Influence of sleeping patterns in health and academic performance among university students.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 1-17. Web.

Wunsch, K., Kasten, N., & Fuchs, R. (2017). The effect of physical activity on sleep quality, well-being, and affect in academic stress periods.Nature and Science of Sleep, 9, 117-126. Web.

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