The perceived effect of sleep pattern on the academic achievement among University of Ilorin nursing students, Nigeria

Abstract

This study used a correlational-descriptive design to examine the perceived effect of sleep patterns on academic achievement among University of Ilorin Nursing students, in Nigeria. A total number of 255 nursing students was selected using a proportionate sampling technique from 200 to 500 levels. The instrument for data collection was a researchers-designed questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was ascertained by study objectives and the reliability was determined by test-retest involving 20% equivalent of the total students in a different institution with similar characteristics prior to the main study, given a 0.78 reliability index. The questionnaire was administered and retrieved from 210 students and analyzed using SPSS computer software version 22. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze research questions while inferential statistics was used to test the hypothesis. Results were presented using descriptive tables of frequency and percentages. The study revealed 97.2% of nursing students affirmed inadequate sleep has negative effect on their academic achievement, and 91.4% agreed that a person must sleep at least 6 hours for healthy living. This study further identified academic stress (53.3%) and poor accommodation (56.2%) as factors influencing sleep patterns among nursing students at the University of Ilorin. This study concluded that there is a significant relationship between nursing student sleep patterns and academic achievement with p-value=0.001 < 0.05. Based on the conclusion, the authors recommended that students must cultivate the habit of having sufficient daily sleep, fixed bed time, and waking time to improve their sleep pattern which will further improve their academic achievements and general physical and psychological wellbeing.