Report Final PDF

A Study on Naps on School Performance

Abstract

Research studies suggest that long naps and disrupted sleep can negatively impact day-time performance. Students have nighttime sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness due to their competitive educational surroundings. College students often have difficulties obtaining a proper amount of sleep and nap to lessen fatigue. This study analyzed a negative correlational relationship between duration of naps and academic performance. In this study, many components have been viewed to examine the consequences of naps on student grades. This study analyzed (1) employment status, (2) commute length, (3) academic performance in high and college, (5) nap duration, and (6) major/program part of. Although napping is a daily routine for some individuals and has become a habit, the findings indicate that students with the shortest nap duration had better grades on their school performances. However, it was also found that the longest nap times were not correlated with the lowest grades, so napping and grades are not directly related.

Introduction

Insufficient sleep can affect mood and awareness. Many people, especially college students, do not have healthy sleep schedules and nap during the day to relieve drowsiness. According to Driskell and Mullen (2005), the longer the nap, the less beneficial the nap is. The optimal nap is about twenty minutes at around 1PM to 3PM (The National Sleep Foundation). According to McDevitt et al. (2012), people who do not nap spend more time in deep sleep phases, which are necessary for healthy sleep, than those who do nap.

College students are notorious for not receiving the proper amount of sleep and napping in between classes. Naps become problematic when they affect school performance. This raises the question of how college students who nap fair academically. This research study used a survey to analyze a correlational relationship between duration of naps and academic performance while considering other variables such as commute time, grades in high school, majors, and occupation of students. The hypothesis of this study is that students who take shorter naps or no naps at all will perform better academically.

Materials & Method

This observational study design consisted of an anonymous 6-question Google Forms survey. The survey was conducted on City College campus. Data was collected on a cellular device in various locations throughout the campus. Each survey began with a disclaimer that the students were not required to answer the questions. The participants included 58 students and were all above 18 years old.

Several factors were observed in this study to analyze the effect of naps on grades, as well as external and/or confounding variables. The students were asked about their employment status and their major and/or program. Participants were asked about their grades (A, B, C and/or D) in college as well as their grades in high school. They were able to check all the grades that were applicable. They were also asked about their commute time and given the options for: less than half an hour, 1 hour, 2 hours, more than 3 hours, or that they live in on-campus housing. Finally, the students were asked about the length of their average nap, with the options of no naps, less than half an hour naps, 1-hour naps, or 2-3 hour naps.

Results

Figure 1. The duration of naps taken at home or between classes. Figure 1 found that 36.2% of students took no naps, 29.3% took naps less than half an hour, 25.9% of students napped an hour, and only 8.6% of students napped for 2-3 hours.

Figure 2. The relationship between the number of students and average grades they received in high school. The survey showed that 86.2% of students received an A-average in high school, while 55.2% students received a B. Only 13.8% students received C grades, and 1.7% of students received D grades. A large portion of students (8.6%) gave no answer.

Figure 3. The relationship between the number of students and average grades they received in college. 75.9% of students received A-average grades and 69% of students received B grades. Meanwhile, 32.8% of students received C grades, 5.2% of students received D grades, and 6.9% of students preferred not to answer.

Figure 4. Participants duration of commute to college. This chart shows that most participants (55.2%) commute for an hour, 19% of participants commuted for 2 hours, 19% commuted for less than half an hour, and only 6.8% of 5 participants lived on campus housing.

Figure 5. The percent of students who are unemployed versus employed. The chart shows that 55.2% of students were employed, while 44.8% of students were not employed.

Figure 6. Majors/programs students are part of. The majority of the students were STEM (40%) majors, while 33% were in social sciences programs, 10% were in humanities, 9% were in education, 5% were undecided, and 3% were non-degree.

Figure 7. The relationship between grade range received and length of naps taken by students. The results showed that students who received A grades, on average, napped 15 minutes. Students who had grades between A-B napped for 36 minutes. Students who had grades between A-C napped for 45 minutes. Finally, those whose grades were A-D, napped for 8 minutes. Participants who had a B grade had an average nap of about 79 minutes. Students with grades between B-C napped 45 minutes on average. Those with grades between B-D did not nap. Participants with C grades napped for 38 minutes. Those who did not offer their grades napped for 4 minutes.

Discussion

In the data, our hypothesis was supported, as it was seen that the shortest amount of time napped corresponds to a high grade, however, there was not a direct relationship between nap time and grades. This was seen as those who had an A average in their classes napped about 15 minutes, whereas those who had a B average in their classes napped for about 79 minutes, and those who had a C average napped for about 38 minutes. Those who had an A average in the class had the shortest timed nap, however, those who had a B average took a longer nap than those who had a C average, indicating a minor correlation effect between grades and napping.

The factors analyzed were commuting time, grades received in high school, occupation, as well as major. The diversity of majors indicates that the data was not particularly skewed towards a certain type of student, although there was a heavier pull from those in STEM or in social sciences. It appears that from the data, average grades were not very different for the participants from their adolescent ages to their college ages, indicating that the participant’s grades were not greatly affected by the difference in school. The commuting times varied, with over half of the responses indicating an hour long commuting time. The majority of students also had an occupation, which takes away time from school and adds to commuting time. Both these two factors could have had an effect on the nap/sleep time of the students, which could, in turn, affect their school performance.

A limitation to the experiment is the small sample size for the population observed. Therefore, a skew is possible because of the small pool of data. Also, even though the surveys were kept anonymous, students were able to falsely report their grades. Additionally, there was no question surveying the amount of time that an individual slept, which could also have an effect on the amount of time a person napped. It is possible that if an individual sleeps enough on an average night, then their nap time would be shorter, or vice versa. There is also external psychological factors that were not tested for, such as the effect of insomnia on a student.

Future studies would include increasing the sample size, as well as the diversity of the majors. Also, the study could be done on different college campuses and test how the urban/suburban campus has an effect on nap vs. grades. Also, having more questions specifically asking for individual grades in each class could better indicate which classes that naps have an effect on school performance. Finally, sleep time vs nap time should be tested as well. 8

Literature Cited

Debunking Sleep Myths: Does Napping During the Day Affect Your Sleep at Night? National Sleep Foundation [Internet]. [cited 2019 March 23]. Available from: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/debunking-sleep-myths-does-napping-du: ring-day-affect-your-sleep-night

Driskell J, Mullen B. 2005. The Efficacy of Naps as a Fatigue Countermeasure: A MetaAnalytic Integration. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society [Internet]. [cited 2019 March 24]; 47(2):360-377. Available from: https://journals-sagepub-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/doi/pdf/10.1518/00187200 54679498

McDevitt E, Alaynick W, Mednick S. 2012. The effect of nap frequency on daytime sleep architecture. Physiology & Behavior [Internet]. [cited 2019 March 23]; 107(1):40-44. Available from: https://saramednick.com/htmls/pdfs/McDevitt_Physiology_Behav_2012.pdf