Exploring Changes in Students’ Subjective Sleep Quality, Sleep Beliefs, and Pre-Sleep Arousal After Attending a Curriculum-Embedded University Course on Sleep

Good sleep is essential for health, yet sleep is often overlooked due to academic, occupational, and social demands. This non-randomized exploratory study examined changes in sleep-related beliefs, subjective sleep quality, and pre-sleep arousal among students attending a mandatory curriculum-embedded university course on sleep. Methods: Seventy-five volunteers (40 female, age = 21.2 ± 2.24) completed the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (DBAS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale (PSAS) before attending a 3-month curriculum-embedded course in Sleep Psychology (N = 50, 22 females, age = 21.5 ± 2.40) or in History of Psychology (N = 25, 18 F, age = 20.7 ± 1.82). At the end of each course, the same questionnaires were administered. Results: Group × Time interactions were significant for the PSQI subjective sleep quality and sleep disturbances component, PSAS cognitive arousal, DBAS global score, and DBAS consequences component, indicating different pre–post changes between groups. The PSQI global score showed no significant Group × Time interaction, despite a reduction within the Sleep Psychology group. Conclusions: Attending a sleep course was associated with selected sleep-related outcomes. Besides the exploratory nature of this study, our findings highlight the potential value of integrating sleep education into university curricula to promote students’ health and well-being.