Comparison Trial of Two Behavioral Sleep Interventions to Improve Sleep-Related Outcomes and Reduce Technology Usage Among College Students

Abstract Over 60% of college students are poor-quality sleepers, and many have inconsistent weekday and weekend sleep patterns. Technology usage (e.g., cellphone, computer, television) may contribute to poor sleep, but there is limited experimental research. In a comparison trial, 60 college students (mean age = 18.76, 86.7% female, 53.3% White) were randomly assigned to a 4-week sleep hygiene and stimulus control (SHSC) intervention or an enhanced intervention including technology stimulus control instructions (SHSC-E). Both groups showed improvements in sleep hygiene practices, perceived barriers to stimulus control, sleep quality, general technology usage, and technology usage before bed. However, the SHSC-E group did not have greater improvements compared to SHSC group as hypothesized, which suggests that the combination of sleep hygiene and stimulus control is a robust enough method for reducing self-reported technology usage. A longer intervention period might be necessary to observe the benefits of technology stimulus control procedures.