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MDPI, Clocks & Sleep, 3(1), p. 306-318, 2019

DOI: 10.3390/clockssleep1030026

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Social Jet-Lag in Tertiary Students Following A Modern Curriculum with Few Time-Tabled Contact Hours: A Pilot Study

Journal article published in 2019 by Leenaars ORCID, Lucassen, Borger, Houben, Kalsbeek
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Social jet-lag (SJL) impairs academic performance, specifically for late chronotypes facedwith early start times. Most modern tertiary educational systems have fewer time-tabled contacthours and consequently fewer early starts, which may limit SJL. We performed a pilot study of SJLin a convenience sample of students from Maastricht University, where problem-based learning(PBL) is implemented throughout the curricula. PBL is a modern curriculum, with only few contacthours and student-driven learning, comprising substantial amounts of self-study. Fifty-twostudents kept a detailed sleep diary for one week, and completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Participants were divided into early and latesleepers based on a ranking of their reported sleeping times, combined with a single question ontheir self-reported chronotype. Late sleepers (for brevity: “Owls”; n = 22) had later midpoint-sleep(5:14 ± 0:11 on weekdays; 5:50 ± 0:07 on weekend days) than early sleepers (for brevity: “Larks”; n =11, 3:21 ± 0:05 on weekdays; 3:41 ± 0:06 on weekend days, F = 10.8, p = 0.003). The difference betweenthe midpoint of sleep on weekdays and weekend days was comparable for Larks and Owls (F = 1.5;p = 0.22). SJL (0:53 ± 0:06, T = 1.4; p = 0.16), total sleep duration (7:58 ± 0:08; p = 0.07), and PSQI score(4.7 ± 0.3, U = 137; p = 0.56) were comparable for Larks and Owls. Average ESS score was higher inLarks (10.7 ± 0.96) than in Owls (7.0 ± 0.72; U = 52; p = 0.007). Within this pilot study of studentsengaged in a problem-based learning curriculum, Owls have no selective disadvantage comparedto Larks concerning sleep.