Evaluation of Nighttime Media Use and Sleep Patterns in First-semester College Students

Objective: We evaluated how nighttime media use is associated with sleep behaviors in first-semester college students, and variation by weight status. Methods: In September 2016, first-semester college students (N = 114) completed surveys evaluating nighttime media usage (NMU) and sleep behaviors. Height, weight, and waist circumference were measured, and weight status was determined by body mass index. Results: Students reported a mean sleep duration of 7.26 +/- 0.93 hours. Only 33% (N = 38) reported sleeping at least 8 hours/night on average. Higher scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were correlated with reports of texting after bed (r = .199, p = .04). Total time in bed was correlated with texting in bed (r = .217, p = .026) and device-related sleep interruptions (r = .215, p = .028). Social media usage (r = 0.270, p = .005), mobile gaming (r = .208, p = .033), and texting (r = .293, p = .002) were correlated with sleep interruptions. NMU was positively correlated with weight and weight status. Conclusions: These results suggest NMU is associated with reduced sleep quality.