Sleep and Experiences of Stress on College Campuses: Evaluating Effectiveness of a Sleep Wellness Workshop

Abstract

Researchers suggest that college students experience especially elevated levels of stress and notoriously poor-quality sleep. To address this, many schools provide wellness workshops designed to increase awareness and educate students on topics such as healthy sleep habits, stress management tips, and ways to avoid burnout. While the aim of these workshops is to improve students’ well-being, are they successful, and are students experiencing a measurable benefit from attending? This study assesses whether a sleep-focused wellness workshop improved students’ sleep quality and reduced their perceived stress levels. To evaluate the effectiveness of these methods, we hosted a sleep-focused wellness workshop open to all registered students and measured pre- and post-workshop perceived stress, anxiety, and sleep quality. The online pre- and post-surveys contained forty-six questions, consisting of demographics, the Perceived Stress Scale, modified versions of Beck’s Anxiety Inventory, and the Sleep Quality Scale. We hypothesized that students who learn about better sleep habits by attending the sleep-focused wellness workshop would experience a reduction in their perceived stress and anxiety along with better overall sleep quality two weeks after participating. We hoped that the methods being taught were effective and that students effectively incorporated what they learned into their daily lives. This study found that attending a wellness workshop reduced students’ levels of perceived stress and anxiety but had no effect on sleep quality. These findings provide confirmation that student support initiatives are an effective way of helping students manage stress and anxiety in college, even when the intervention is limited to a one-hour virtual wellness workshop. Future research should assess if offering more robust interventions yields a greater positive effect on students’ well-being.