There has been much research done over the years on poor sleep patterns and mental health in academic settings. It is generally accepted that students attending school will expect to have higher stress levels and get less sleep than their non-academic counterparts. This is partially due to higher academic demands requiring longer study hours, as well as extra-curricular activities outside of school. Lower grade point averages and higher dropout rates due to the stressful academic environment is a critical issue for the future. Lack of sleep is one of the key barriers to a student's overall feeling of wellness that is still being reported in academic settings. This literature review will take a look at some of the key features of how poor sleep patterns correlate with depression and other incidences of mental health issues such as insomnia and whether there is a predictive value between poor sleep patterns and mental illness. A comparison of gender response to poor sleep patterns will be examined as well as the limitations within that particular scope. .
Are poor sleep patterns predictive of mental illness in students?.
A Review of the Literature.
One of the most important questions that need to be considered when analyzing how poor sleep patterns affect the mental health of students, is determining the recommended amount of sleep necessary for the average student. Often, students stay up late depriving themselves of much needed sleep to be able to study or they choose to stay out with friends for extracurricular fun. Everyone has different requirements for sleep. This means that some people function well on five hours of sleep and some require eight or more hours of sleep to stave off fatigue, irritation and other negative feelings of being sleep deprived. "Poor sleep has been implicated in the onset and progression of a wide array of adverse mental and physical health outcomes" (Williams & Moroz, 2010).