Determinants of sleep quality in college students: A literature review

Abstract

Purpose: To review the various determinants of sleep quality among college students.

Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were searched with the search string "sleep quality" AND "college students" for articles published between January 2007 and October 2017. Articles were excluded if they (1) examined sleep quality as a risk factor for other outcomes or (2) involved inpatients or participants under medical care.

Results: The 112 identified studies were classified into categories according to the investigated determinants and their effect on sleep quality. Physical activity and healthy social relations improved sleep quality, while caffeine intake, stress and irregular sleep-wake patterns decreased sleep quality. Less consistent results were reported regarding eating habits and sleep knowledge, while proper napping during the day might improve overall sleep quality.

Conclusions: College students are vulnerable to different risk factors for sleep quality. When designing interventions to improve sleep quality among college students, the main determinants need to be taken into consideration.

Keywords: College students; Scoping review; Sleep determinants; Sleep quality.