Review articleThe Delivery of Behavioral Sleep Medicine to College Students
Section snippets
Inadequate Sleep Hygiene
The ICSD defines ISH as a form of insomnia that has been present for at least 1 month, where at least one of the following behaviors is present and considered to cause the insomnia (see Table 1 for diagnostic criteria and behavioral examples). ISH results in self-imposed sleep deprivation and is a common problem in college students [20], [21], [22]. Over half of university students who were surveyed reported ISH [22], which was considerably higher than that reported by the high school students
Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder
Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder marked by significant delays in sleep–wake cycles (e.g., bedtime after 1 a.m., wake time after 10 a.m.), relative to societal norms [27], [28]. It results in significant insomnia, sleep deprivation, and difficulties with daytime functioning. Symptoms of DSPD typically begin to appear as early as adolescence [29], [30], [31], [32], [33], with a biological phase preference for later bedtimes as children develop into adolescents.
Insomnia
Insomnia is characterized by complaints of difficulty in initiating sleep, maintaining sleep, or nonrestorative sleep, with at least one daytime impairment (e.g., fatigue/malaise, attention problems) attributable to the insomnia [28], [45], [46]. Insomnia is conceptualized as primary when the sleep disturbance is believed to be the fundamental problem for the individual or comorbid when insomnia coexists with another psychiatric, medical, or other sleep disorder [47]. In the general adult
Dissemination of Traditional and Developing BSM Approaches to College Students
College students might encounter several obstacles in receiving and using empirically based behavioral sleep medicine regimens. For instance, college students have limited access to sleep specialists, limited time, and limited financial resources to obtain treatment. They also may not yet be educated about sleep disturbance and its negative consequences or may minimize or de-prioritize its importance. Thus, the question of how to give access to and resources for behavioral sleep medicine
Future Considerations
For some students, sleep disorders have already emerged; for others college tenure may be the ideal “window of opportunity” to educate and prevent future sleep disorders from developing. Despite their vulnerabilities to sleep disruption, college students are an ideal population to target. They are accustomed to homework (consistent with CBT-I approaches), are in an environment that fosters learning and wellness, and, although busy, tend to have flexible schedules. Parallel to the many
Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely appreciate the work of Lacy Fenn at the University of North Texas who designed and contributed the phase response curve figures.
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