A Comparison of the Number of Hours of Sleep in High School Students Who Took Advanced Placement and/or College Courses and Those Who Did Not

Abstract

This study investigated the association between sleep deprivation and enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) and/or college courses among high school students. Approximately 4,000 surveys were distributed, and 2,197 completed surveys were returned from students in Grades 9 to 12 at 15 high schools in Iowa. Findings indicated the majority of high school students were sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation was significantly associated with enrollment in AP/college courses. Results indicated that enrollment in AP/college courses had a greater impact on younger students than older students. Compared with non-AP/college course takers, AP/college course takers slept approximately 20 minutes less per night. Specifically, 9th- and 10th-grade AP/college course takers slept approximately 1 hour less and 40 minutes less, respectively. In addition, students enrolled in two or more AP/college classes received 1 hour less and 30 minutes less among 10th and 11th graders, respectively. These results provide useful information on adolescent sleep patterns for school nurses.

Early to Bed, Early to Rise?

“…Changing academic demands during the high school years increase the vulnerability for insufficient sleep for many students. Jin and Shi (2008) compared sleep duration between students enrolled in advanced placement (AP)/college courses ( N = 352) and students not enrolled in AP/college courses ( N = 1,708). Their results revealed that students enrolled in AP/college courses slept 40 min to 1 hr less than students not enrolled in AP/college courses.…”

Development and Initial Validation of the Coping With Academic Demands Scale

“…Participants in the current study indicated that they commonly responded to academic stress through sleeping for different purposes (i.e., to recharge, to escape). Coping by seeking sleep may be a unique strategy among this population given the risk for sleep deprivation among AP and IB students, as Jin and Shi (2008) demonstrated based on results from a statewide survey of high school students in college-level classes (including AP) who reported sleeping significantly less than their peers in general or honors-level courses. Furthermore, Jin and Shi also found that students with multiple college-level courses got less sleep than peers with fewer college-level classes.…”

Children's Sleep Needs: Is There Sufficient Evidence to Recommend Optimal Sleep for Children?

“…Ferrara and De Gennaro 50 define optimal sleep as "the daily amount of sleep that allows a subject to be fully awake (i.e., not sleepy) and able to sustain normal levels of performance during the daytime" whereas Engle-Friedman et al 51 define optimal sleep as "the amount of sleep required to feel refreshed in the morning." Other studies 52,53 with impressive circularity define optimal sleep as the amount recommended by authorizing bodies. These definitions, however, may be considered inadequate.…”