Stress and sleep disturbances in female college students.

OBJECTIVE To describe the sleep characteristics and examine the associations among perceived stress, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, and physical symptoms among female college students. METHODS A total of 103 students completed a battery of questionnaires. RESULTS The students experienced high stress during the school year. The majority of them slept less than 6 hours during weekdays and experienced moderate fatigue. High stress levels are associated with sleep disturbances, less nocturnal total sleep time, higher fatigue severity, and more depressive symptoms. Perceived stress and sleep disturbances are significant predictors for depressive symptoms and physical symptoms. Compared to the good sleepers, the poor sleepers reported more daytime sleepiness, depressive symptoms, and physical symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Interventions to reduce stress and improve sleep are critically needed in college education.