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Effect of Sleep Hygiene Education on Sleep Practices among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Adequate and healthy sleep is essential for physical health, mental wellbeing, cognitive functioning, academic performance, and overall quality of life among university students. However, university students may experience poor sleep practices due to academic workload, irregular study schedules, excessive use of smartphones and other electronic devices, late-night social activities, caffeine consumption, stress, and inconsistent sleep and wake times. Poor sleep practices may contribute to daytime fatigue, reduced concentration, impaired academic performance, mood disturbances, and other health problems. Sleep hygiene education provides an opportunity to improve students' knowledge of healthy sleep behaviours and encourage the adoption of appropriate sleep practices. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of sleep hygiene education on sleep practices among university students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Theory of Planned Behavior. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of the health consequences of poor sleep, perceived benefits of healthy sleep practices, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their sleep-related behaviours. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, self-efficacy, behavioural reinforcement, and environmental influences in the development and maintenance of healthy sleep practices. The Theory of Planned Behavior explains how students' attitudes toward healthy sleep, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control influence their intentions and subsequent sleep practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how sleep hygiene education may influence sleep practices among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate students enrolled in selected public and private universities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, universities, faculties or departments, and eligible students. Sleep hygiene education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to structured sleep education, information on recommended sleep duration, regular sleep and wake times, appropriate bedtime routines, management of electronic device use before bedtime, caffeine and stimulant consumption, daytime physical activity, sleep environment, stress management, napping practices, and strategies for improving sleep quality. Sleep practices will be assessed using indicators such as consistency of bedtime and wake time, duration of nightly sleep, bedtime electronic-device use, caffeine consumption close to bedtime, daytime napping, sleep environment, pre-sleep routines, physical activity, and other behaviours associated with healthy sleep. Where appropriate, validated sleep hygiene and sleep quality instruments may also be used to provide standardized measures of students' sleep practices. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, validated sleep hygiene assessment instruments, sleep diaries, and relevant educational programme records. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, exposure to sleep hygiene education, and patterns of sleep practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of sleep hygiene education on sleep practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, sleep practice scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared to determine changes associated with the programme. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that sleep hygiene education has a significant positive effect on sleep practices among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured and practical sleep hygiene education are expected to demonstrate healthier sleep behaviours, including more consistent sleep schedules, reduced bedtime electronic-device use, improved sleep environments, appropriate caffeine practices, and healthier pre-sleep routines. Education may also improve students' understanding of the relationship between sleep and academic performance, concentration, emotional wellbeing, and general health. Practical strategies for managing academic demands, stress, screen exposure, and irregular schedules may improve students' ability to adopt sustainable sleep practices. However, academic workload, examination periods, financial pressures, hostel conditions, social activities, electronic-device dependence, stress, and limited control over the sleeping environment may continue to affect students' sleep behaviours. The study therefore expects accessible, practical, and contextually appropriate sleep hygiene education to contribute significantly to improved sleep practices among university students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on sleep hygiene education, sleep practices, university students, adolescent and young adult health, sleep health, academic wellbeing, health education, health promotion, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission, universities, student health centres, university counselling services, healthcare professionals, public health educators, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving sleep health among students. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating sleep hygiene education into university health promotion programmes, providing practical sleep-management resources, increasing awareness of the relationship between sleep and academic performance, strengthening student counselling and wellness services, and promoting healthier sleep environments within Nigerian universities.

Keywords: Sleep hygiene education, sleep practices, university students, sleep health, sleep hygiene, academic wellbeing, health education, health promotion, student health, Nigeria, public health.