Newstrack: University of Iowa students shoot for sounder sleep

Background

Hoping to tackle one of the biggest impediments to learning on campus, the University of Iowa in 2013 rolled out a Refresh Sleep Program aimed at using technology to help students achieve more restful nights.

The program started small — both in scope and participation — offering registered users eight weeks of emails providing information on the physiology of sleep, training methods for relaxation and mindfulness, cognitive strategies, and how to keep daily sleep logs.

Its debut coincided with a pilot rollout of a similar program for employees called SHUTi, which aimed to help users improve sleep hygiene and habits through computer-based systems and strategies.

In citing a need for such programs, UI officials pointed to studies showing ways in which sleep struggles can affect productivity and learning.

Issues include inability to focus, memory impairment, health risks, stress and anxiety, according to UI officials.

A National College Health Assessment conducted on the UI campus in spring 2015 found just 34 percent of students believed they were getting enough sleep to feel rested at least five days a week. Survey respondents listed sleep as the third-biggest impediment to learning on campus.

'Sleep is a huge issue,' said Rebecca Don, a behavioral health consultant at UI Student Health & Wellness who oversees the student program.

And, Don said, she's not just talking about well-known conditions such as insomnia.

'Most college sleep issues are time management,' she said.

What's Happened Since

Last fall, the university expanded the Refresh Sleep student program and started offering a smartphone application, compatible with Apple devices, that is more interactive, requiring users to complete questionnaires and participate in nightly monitoring enabled through an iPhone or iPad.

This fall, the application's compatibility was expanded to Android devices.

The assessment portion of the application version involves use of a heart rate monitor to track sleep patterns, according to Don. Students who participate will receive an elastic band that goes around their torso and connects with their devices via Bluetooth, producing morning reports showing how soundly they slept.

The application also tracks things such as sound, revealing how users are affected by disturbances while they sleep.

'You might not know if your sleep quality has been impaired,' Don sad. 'But the heart rate monitor can show you. Maybe you thought you slept this many hours, but you were not in a deep sleep …

and that's why you don't feel refreshed.'

After a five-day evaluation period, the program assesses sleep norms and crafts personal sleep goals — such as spending less time in bed awake or waking up at the same time every day. Over the next 30 days, the program guides users through personalized sleep improvement plans, providing strategies, skills and tips.

The full program takes 35 to 45 days, and users afterward are asked to report on whether it helped.

'For funding, we have to show it works,' Don said. 'And I'm happy to say it does.'

Although the program is free for students, the university has to pay $10 per user.

During the full 2014-2015 academic year, 259 students were enrolled — almost four times the year before, according to a program report. For this fall, 81 people registered, including 66 who are using the application and 15 using email.

And with today bringing the fall rollback of daylight saving time, Don said the program could be especially handy.

'Being more mindful of the impact sleep quality has on all other aspects of your life …

and learning how to control your sleep rather than be controlled by it will help participants make adjustments when daylight savings rolls in,' she said.