Sleep patterns of first-year nursing students

This exploratory and descriptive study aimed at describing sleep patterns of first-year university students at the beginning of their course. The study was conducted at Campinas State University, Brazil. Data were collected in two points of time using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results showed that students report sleep of better quality and increased length during vacations, when they kept sleep habits in conformity to chronotype. After classes started a greater number of subjects reported poor sleep quality and daytime lack of enthusiasm. Those changes could be due to the submission of subjects to schedules imposed by the university or to the irregularity of sleep habits assumed. Possible relationship between those sleep changes and academic performance stresses the importance of ongoing studies on this issue.