Understanding Sleep and Depression in College Aged Students

Kiyan Afkhami, Emory University • January 5, 2025

           Starting college is a major transition. It often feels like a rollercoaster of new experiences—moving into dorms, juggling packed schedules, and figuring out how to survive on campus dining. All these changes can impact students’ minds, often leading to increased stress, anxiety, and sometimes even depression. 

           Researchers Wang Li et al., 2020, conducted a study to explore one piece of the puzzle of this transition that's often overlooked: sleep. Past research has indicated that poor sleep quality does predict depressive symptoms (Dinis & Bragança, 2018). Wang Li and his colleagues wanted to know how do sleep quality as well as the number of hours students sleep each night interact with feelings of depression. By defining good mental health simply as “no signs of depression,” a clear pattern could be identified.

          The conductors of this study surveyed 9,515 college students, asking them questions about their sleep routines (i.e how long they slept, how well they slept, and about their overall mental health).They grouped the students sleep habits into three groups: short, normal, and long for how many hours they slept, plus poor, normal, and good for how well they slept. 

The results really stood out. 

          Students who got less sleep (<7 hours), or who said their sleep wasn’t great, tended to show more signs of depression, while students who reported having better sleep quality had less depressive symptoms. Even when researchers factored in things like how active they were, their BMI, and their financial backgrounds, the interaction between sleep and depression held. In other words, poor sleep went hand-in-hand with feeling more down and out.

Why This Matters:


          This research points to something that should be common sense, but often isn’t: getting enough good-quality sleep is a big deal for mental health. Colleges might be doing a lot to help students deal with stress—offering counseling, wellness workshops, or meditation sessions—but if they’re not talking about sleep, they are undoubtedly missing a crucial piece to this puzzle.


          By taking steps to help students sleep better (i.e maybe providing tips on sleep habits, tweaking class schedules, or encouraging more flexible routines) schools can make a real difference.


          College is never going to be completely stress-free, but ensuring students have every chance to rest well could help them stay emotionally balanced, more focused on their studies, and ready to make the most of their time on campus. 


So, how are you going to manage and prioritize your sleep this semester? 



Author:

Kiyan Afkhami, Emory University, Class of 2028


Editor:

Elaine Johnson, PhD


Study Reviewed:

Li, W., Yin, J., Cai, X., Cheng, X., & Wang, Y. (2020). Association between sleep duration and quality and depressive symptoms among university students: A cross-sectional study. PloS one, 15(9), e0238811. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238811


Other Works Cited:

Dinis, J., & Bragança, M. (2018). Quality of Sleep and Depression in College Students: A Systematic Review. Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 11(4), 290–301. https://doi.org/10.5935/1984-0063.20180045

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