Impact of Sleep Patterns on Cognitive Functioning in Relation to Academic Performance

Sleep is an essential physiological process for survival, influencing cognitive functions such as concentration, memory, information retention, and creativity. Chronic sleep deprivation is common among students due to academic stress, this significantly affects their academic performance. To survey the impact of sleep duration and quality on student's cognitive abilities concerning academic performance, a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a selective sampling method. The study population consisted of 196 students in total. Data Collection was conducted via dissemination of a Google Form among the students. An organized questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate and post-graduate students at a university. The questionnaire was based on a one-week short-term survey, utilizing a Likert scale and collecting other relevant data about student grades and disciplines of study. Statistical analyses, including P-test, T-test, and ANOVA, were performed to examine the correlation between factors of cognitive functioning and students' sleep hygiene intending to evaluate how these factors impact academic performance. The acquired data was analyzed using the Python Pandas library to explore the relationship between sleep duration and cognitive functioning. The results indicated that most students were getting less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep. About 60% of students rated their sleep quality on a scale of 1 to 3, representing poor sleep, with CGPAs ranging between 5 and 7. Students who rated their sleep quality at 4 achieved CGPAs of 8–9, while those meeting the recommended 8 hours of sleep performed the best academically, with 70% achieving CGPAs of 8–9 and 20% exceeding a 9 CGPA. A p-value (p<0.05) was obtained, indicating that the hours of sleep significantly affect various factors of cognitive wellness. These findings demonstrate that proper sleep habits play a crucial role in enhancing students' academic success and cognitive wellness. Conversely, students with poor sleep hygiene tend to perform poorly academically.