The Global Sleep Crisis and University Education: Counseling Implications for Mathematics Education Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Sleep has been considered a vital component of mental, physical and academic well-being of higher education students. This study adopts the survey research design to investigate the pattern of some sleep variables among mathematics education students in North Central Nigeria. The sample comprises 215 mathematics education students randomly drawn from two federal universities in North Central Nigeria. The instrument for data collection is the researcher-developed Technology Usage and Sleep Pattern Questionnaire (TUSPQ). Data collected on use of electronic device at bedtime, screen time during daytime, sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), subjective sleep need (SSN), nighttime phone location and nighttime awakenings were analyzed using frequency counts, simple percentages and means. The results indicate dismal sleep duration of 5 hours and 19 minutes and a sleep deficit of 2 hours and 35 minutes attributable to high use of smartphones, laptops and TVs in the last hour before going to bed. The implications of these findings for counseling interventions in Nigeria’s higher education system were considered. Key-words: Sleep, Sleep Deficiency, Sleep Counseling, Mathematics Education, Higher Education.