1

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM

Background of the study

Sleep is a fundamental necessity for individuals to

function optimally and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Without

sufficient and adequate sleep, both physical and mental

health can be adversely affected, impacting overall

psychological wellbeing. Neglecting one’s psychological

wellbeing may lead to heightened levels of anxiety. This

anxiety, in turn, affects our overall performance in school,

work, socializing, and exploring new things in life.

Ultimately, it may also impede our personal development.

To begin with, some research project in USA emphasized

that sleep inconsistency which is sometimes called “social

jet lag” is defined by inconsistency in sleep schedule

and/or duration from day to day that is typically seen in

the form of sleep debt during weekdays followed by oversleep

on weekends. Therefore, adolescents who experience greater

sleep inconsistency perform worse in school (Okano et al,

2019).

Similarly, a study proposed that daytime sleepiness,

sleep deprivation, and irregular sleep schedules are highly

prevalent among college students in the University schools

in the U.S., as 50% report daytime sleepiness and 70% attain

 2

insufficient sleep. The consequences of sleep deprivation

and daytime sleepiness are especially problematic to college

students and can result in lower grade point averages,

increased risk of academic failure, compromised learning,

impaired mood, and increased risk of motor vehicle

accidents. This article reviews the current prevalence of

sleepiness and sleep deprivation among college students,

contributing factors for sleep deprivation, and the role of

sleep in learning and memory (Hershner and Chalvin, 2014)

In connection, an article in South America studying the

quality of sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness of

university students in Brazil and to verify the levels

of trait anxiety(A-Trait) and state anxiety(A-State). A

sample, composed of undergraduate students from daytime

courses, responded to an online form, containing

questionnaires and a descriptive analysis of the data

was then performed. It was composed of 305 participants

and was between 22 and 29 years of age, 51.37% were

female, 98.03% were non-smokers, 52.8% consumed

alcohol, and 54.1% practiced physical activity. The

majority demonstrated an absence of excessive daytime

sleepiness (62.3%), poor sleep quality (72.4%), and

moderate levels of A-Trait (56.4%) and A-State (47.2%).

The main findings of this study reveal that the

 3

volunteers have poor sleep quality with a moderate

level of state-trait anxiety. The results also indicate

that the profile of the students who answered the

questionnaire was composed of young adults who did not

have an employment relationship and were single. There

was poor sleep quality among university students. In

addition, state trait anxiety scores were at moderate

levels (Silva, 2022).

On the other hand, a cross-sectional population-

based study was conducted in Europe, particularly in

Northeastern Greece in order to evaluate the

association of sleep characteristics with anxiety

disorders and their participants were between 19 and 86

years of age. Participants self-reported their daily

sleep habits and their anxiety symptoms were assessed

using the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale and showed

that anxiety symptoms were more prominent among

minority groups. Subjects with anxiety reported shorter

sleep duration (less than 6 hours) and reduced sleep

efficiency. Moreover, anxiety was associated with

excessive daytime sleepiness, insomnia, poor sleep

quality and higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea

(Serdari et al., 2020).

 4

Concurring research aims to identify the prevalence of

symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress among the

registered students in Europe, particularly San Jorge

University in Zaragoza, Spain. There are many reported

mental health problems in Spain, however there is only

little knowledge about the mental health of the college

students. The researcher's conducted this study using

questionnaires to gather data from the 1074 undergraduate

students who participated where 71% were women and 29% were

men. They have found out that 18.4% have moderate prevalence

of depression, 23.6% for anxiety and 34.5% for stress

symptoms. According to their study out of the participants

women levels of anxiety and stress were higher than men. The

researcher’s also found out that the factors associated with

the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were the

participants age, gender, self-esteem, sleep quality and

living arrangements of college students and also other

specific behaviors related to alcohol, tobacco and internet

use (Ramón-Arbués et al.,2020).

Together with, a study conducted in Asia in 2022

involing 69,138 preschoolers particularly in Longhua

District of China, The association between childhood anxiety

symptoms and bedtime and duration of sleep during the night

was investigated using binary logistic regression models and

 5

Anxiety assessment tools or anxiety rating scales. based on

the study’s findings, 52.41% of preschoolers had a bedtime

between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. Furthermore, 75.49% of

preschoolers didn’t get enough sleep at night, and 38.70% of

them had bedtimes beyond 10:00 PM. Preschoolers screened

positive for anxiety symptoms at a rate of 3.50%. After

controlling for other variables, statistical analysis showed

that preschoolers whose bedtime was after 11:01 PM were 2.86

times more likely to experience anxiety symptoms than

preschoolers whose bedtime was before 9:00 PM. Comparably,

the probabilities of experiencing anxiety symptoms were 1.48

and 1.51 times greater for individuals whose bedtime fell

between 9:01 and 10:00 PM and between 10:01 and 11:00 PM,

respectively. Additionally, children who slept for less than

nine hours at night were 1.36 times more likely to

experience anxiety symptoms (Yan Qui et al., 2024).

Along with, numerous studies which have investigated

the habits of college students and reported varying average

sleep durations. For instance, a cross-sectional descriptive

study in Asia, particularly, in Japan found that the average

sleep duration among college students is 400 minutes

(approximately 6 hours and 40 minutes). Similarly, a study

was conducted by Nam et al. that according to a 2019 study

in the journal NPJ Science of Learning, on average, college

 6

students went to sleep at 2 a.m. and woke up at 9 a.m. This

puts the average sleep time at seven hours per night (Eakman

et al., 2023).

In addition, one of the research projects of Asia,

specifically in Iran conducted with the title Sleep Duration

and its Relationship with School Performance in Iranian

Adolescents, sleep is a periodic and natural state of human

which during that body and mind is at rest, the eyes usually

close and consciousness is partially or completely reduced

where body movements reduce during sleep and body does not

respond to external stimuli and almost a third of humans’

life is spent in sleep. Additionally, good quality of sleep

is necessary to perform routine daily function including

metabolic activities, hormonal processes, and proper

regulation of appetite (Jalilolghadr et al., 2021).

In relation, one study in Asia, specifically in China

found that adolescents From Public High Schools states that

adolescents who engaged in screen time at bedtime were more

likely to have a greater severity of sleep-related

impairment than students who reported no screen time use at

bedtime and adolescents who had a greater severity of sleep

disturbances had higher anxiety and higher academic

achievements than adolescents with less sleep disturbances

(Dimitriou et al., 2019).

 7

Moreover, according to an international study by

Australian and Hong Kong universities, identifying the

effects of anxiety and sleep on academic engagement among

university students, involving 614 students from major

Australian and Hong Kong universities. The assessment of

anxiety was conducted at Time 1 utilizing the DASS-21

(Depression Anxiety Stress Scales), while sleep hygiene was

assessed by the SHI (Sleep Hygiene Index), a tool used to

measure and evaluate sleep hygiene behaviors. A month later,

at Time 2, the PSQI global sleep quality score was used to

assess sleep quality, while academic engagement was

evaluated by UWES-S. Structural equation modeling was

employed to examine the relationship between these

variables. The results indicate that in both the Hong Kong

and Australian samples, the effects of anxiety on sleep

quality were influenced by sleep hygiene practices. It was

also found that students with higher anxiety levels

experience lower sleep quality and poorer sleep hygiene.

which in turn affects their academic engagement (Heather Ng

et al., 2021).

Subsequently, a study conducted in Asia, specifically

in Korea, about the sleep patterns of university students

associated with their lifestyle, specifically to examine

mean sleep duration and another purpose of this study is to

 8

determine the influence of new media like computers and

videos to young adults about their sleep patterns. Data were

deprived from questionnaires gathered from the 1,414

students of Chullabuk-do, located in Korea. Statistics were

gathered using t-test, analysis of variance, chi-square test

and multivariate logistic regression. The results showed

that the mean sleep duration of the respondents was 5.4

hours, 30.2% have insufficient sleep and about one third of

them pointed the visual medias as the primary reason and

36.2% from the respondents have sleep disturbances (Deok Jin

Ban and Tae Jin Lee, 2009).

Also, during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Philippines,

a survey of 3,032 university students was carried out. It

revealed findings showing that 62.40% of participants

reported having poor sleep quality, ranging from extremely

terrible to bad sleep quality, and that these findings were

negatively correlated with measures used to assess

psychological wellness. Additionally, 44.66% of students

scored above on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-

2). Additionally, it is shown that among those assessed

using the GAD-2 scale, 40% (542 participants) and 51.55%

(698 participants) obtained a score on the GAD-7 scale

indicating moderate to severe anxiety. This study shows a

 9

connection of between psychological distress, anxiety and

sleep duration (Mendoza et al., 2022).

Together with, a study was conducted where descriptive

statistics were utilized to describe the sleeping habits and

the effect to their academic performance of medical students

in a State University-run Medical School in the Philippines

and showed that the average medical student is “sleep-

deprived”, sleeping two hours less (six hours) than the

recommended daily minimum duration of sleep (eight to 10

hours). For the correlation of sleepiness and academic

performance, they found out that there is no significant

difference in academic performance among those who are

excessively sleepy versus those who are not and for their

conclusion, increased level of sleepiness does not correlate

with poorer academic performance among these medical

students, despite them sleeping less than the general

recommendation for adults (Jorge et al., 2020).

What’s more is that, the sleep duration among college

students in the Philippine is at least 6 hours conducted

last year March 31, 2023 by the World Health Organization.

On average, most college students get 6 hours of sleep per

night, and the college years are suffered difficulty to

sleep-deprived due to an overload of activities. Some

researches on college students and sleep indicates that

 10

insufficient sleep impacts our health, our moods, and our

safety. In relation, the severity of anxiety symptoms

experienced by college students according to World Health

Organizations are poor concentration, feelings of excessive

guilt or low self-worth, hopelessness about the future,

thoughts about dying or suicide, disrupted sleep, changes in

appetite or weight, feeling very tired or low in energy.

Depression can cause difficulties in all aspects of life,

including in the community and at home, and school. In

conclusion, the relationship between sleep duration and

severity of anxiety among college student is that it`s

affecting the academic performance and has a significant

impact on the psychological health of the college students

but this relationship is difficult to interpret (World

Health Organization, 2023).

Lastly, according to an article in the Philippines

particularly in Mindanao, Zamboanga, sleep deprivation is a

general term to describe a state caused by inadequate

quantity or quality of sleep, including voluntary or

involuntary sleeplessness and circadian rhythm sleep

disorders. Therefore, a sleepy fatigued person is accident

prone, judgment impaired and more likely to make mistakes

and bad decisions and staying awake for 24 hours leads to

reduced hand-to-eye coordination that is similar to having a

 11

blood alcohol content of 0.1, Lack of sleep can also affect

a child’s school performance and could be linked to an

increased risk of emotional problems such as depression

(Adlawan, 2021)

Some students often sacrifice their sleep due to

personal reasons or academic responsibilities, especially

when studying for their quizzes and exams. Which often

results in a reduced duration of sleep which negatively

impacts their psychological well-being as a whole and

potentially leading to a variety of anxiety symptoms. This

is why the researchers were inspired to conduct this study

to gain more knowledge and insight to the correlation of

sleep duration and anxiety.

The objective of this study is to determine the average

sleep duration of college students, severity of anxiety

symptoms experienced by college students and to identify any

relationship between sleep duration and severity of anxiety

symptoms among college students

This research is beneficial to the following:

To the educational institution and faculty, the

contents of this study will help them gain new knowledge and

insights which can help the student’s future endeavors, as

well as the BSCRIM course.

 12

The study serves as a basis for BSCRIM students

currently enrolled in this course, in conducting their

research and in learning the different formats of research

as well as the do’s and don’ts when doing their research.

This study serves as a foundation for future

researchers for which they can use as a reference, guide to

establish new knowledge and to learn new things which can be

beneficial for their research.

For the researchers, this study has taught them to

exert great effort in every detail they added on this

research, helped them learn the proper format in doing their

research, the importance of conducting research and it’s

benefits to the society, and most importantly learn the

procedures in conducting research.

Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

This view connects to the contemporary ideas and

approaches of all the theories that will support the

research “The relationship between sleep duration and

severity of anxiety symptoms among students”. This to

understand the basis of this inquiry of the research.

Oswald’s Restoration Theory

Dr Ian Oswald proposed that sleep is necessary for lost

energy to recover and restore ourselves. He suggested that

 13

sleep is crucial for the repair of cellular components

(StudySmarter, 2024).

Based on this theory it suggests that poor sleeping

habits or short sleep durations may impair the recovery of

our bodies from day to day activities. Often affecting the

psychological well-being of a person and neglecting the

psychological well-being may cause mild to severe anxiety

symptoms.

Energy Conservation Theory

The energy conservation theory proposed by Joshua E.

Brinkman and others in physiology of sleep. Posits that the

main function of sleep is to reduce a person's energy demand

during part of the day and night when it is least efficient

to hunt for food. This theory is supported by the fact that

the body has decreased metabolism by up to 10% during sleep

(Joshua, 2023).

In relation to the study, it helps college

students to manage their sleep duration and to become active

and productive in their academic performance. In addition,

energy conservation theory, provides the needs of our brain

to function properly and to reduce the stress that we

accumulated in our daily life.

Brain Plasticity Theory

 14

Sleep is necessary for neural reorganization and growth

of the brains structure and function. It suggests an

existing link between sleep and brain plasticity, wherein

sleep enhances brain plasticity contributing to cognitive

abilities and performance of task (physiopedia, n.d.).

The quantity and quality of sleep have a major impact

on learning and memory in two ways. First is, sleep

deprivation affects focus and attention. Second, sleep helps

memory consolidation, which is critical for successful

learning.

Cognitive Theory

This theory explains that people may experience anxiety

due to fear of what might happen or what might be the

outcome of their actions, so they try to avoid doing things

they think it’s dangerous because they only foresaw the

worst scenarios of their actions.(Bhatt, 2019)

This theory is related to our study because we students

sometimes don’t take risks in doing things in school for

example in oral participation. That is because we were

afraid of what might people think and said to us when what

we are about say or do is wrong. So us students try to avoid

participating, however it lowers one’s self-esteem, and

lowered self-esteem is one of the factors on why students

experience anxiety.
 15

Social Learning Theory

The study is anchored from how the students learn from

the others through observation and imitation as other people

being their model. This theory explains that humans learn

socially and is called observational learning because this

theory focuses on how students for example observe the

actions of others and try to copy them. This theory states

that humans learn not only from studying and reading from

the textbooks but also from the people around them and the

environment they lived in.(Bandura, 2022)

In relation, students can learn the relationship

between sleep duration and severity of anxiety by observing

other people’s behavior or through social interaction. For

example, Mr. A observes that his friend, Mr. B, is often

experiencing anxiety on the days he had insufficient sleep

while he observed that his other friend, Mr. C, who have

proper sleeping habits is often confident and outgoing on

social interactions, so based on this observation Mr. A,

learns that he needs to implement healthy sleeping habits to

reduce his anxiety levels.

Information Consolidation Theory

The information consolidation theory proposed by Kendra

Cherry is based on cognitive research and she suggested that

 16

people sleep in order to process more information that has

been acquired during the day into long-term memory. In

addition, to processing more information from the day prior,

this theory also argues that sleep allows the brain to

prepare for a next day to come (Kendra, 2020).

Similarly, to the topic of Relationship of sleep duration

and anxiety, It says on the theory that sleep prepares the

mind to process information day by day, Now imagine if

students don’t get enough sleep. It would make it harder for

their brain to process new information everyday and recall

the past information from previous days and also makes it

harder for them to focus in class, which in turn affects

their academic performance and potentially causing them to

be anxious.

Paradigm of the study

The paradigm of the study, shown in figure 1,

illustrates the concept and flow of the study conducted. The

arrow represents the sequence and flow of the process.

The first box is the input, the relationship between sleep

durations and severity of anxiety symptoms among students.

 17

The second box is the process, which was accomplished by

conducting by the used of questionnaire.

The third box is the output, whereas, the average sleep

duration among college students; the severity of anxiety

symptoms experienced by college student; and the

relationship between sleep duration and severity of anxiety.

Lastly, the last box is the expected outcome, which

contains Collected data from the survey questionnaires

containing the average sleep duration of college students

 18

INPUT

The relationship between sleep duration and severity

of anxiety symptoms among students.

PROCESS
Survey Questionnaire

OUTPUT

 The average sleep duration among college

students
 The severity of anxiety symptoms experienced by
college students.
 The Relationship between sleep duration and
severity of anxiety symptoms among college
students.

EXPECTED OUTCOME
Collected data from the survey questionnaires
containing the average sleep duration of college
students
 19

Problem and hypothesis

This study aims to know the relationship between sleep

duration and severity of anxiety symptoms among students.

Specially, this study seeks to answer the following

questions;

1. What is the average sleep duration among college

students?

2. What is the severity symptoms experienced by college

students?

3. What is the relationship between sleep duration and

severity and anxiety symptoms among college

students?
20