UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST- MANILA

College of Business Administration

IMPACT OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG

COLLGE ACCOUNTING STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST MANILA
CAMPUS

A Project Proposal Presented by:

Cuevas, Joaquin

Poncedeleon, Charm Cleave

Siason, Mikhaela Sofia

Villanueva, Mean Eunice

 Background of the Study

Sleep is a state on which the body and mind of an individual is relatively inactive and its muscles
are relaxed. In human body, sleep aids with all the cognitive function such as memory, learning, decision
making, and critical thinking. Sleep is also said to be a physiological adaptation to conserve energy. With
enough sleep, an individual can function better and the condition of which an individual suffers from lack
of sleep is called sleep deprivation. Furthermore, sleep is vital and plays an important role in human system.
According to the National Sleep Foundation (2015), an individual need at least 7 to 10 hours of sleep to
store energy and be able to function properly. It helps people work at an ideal level and is used for critical
processing of the brain. This makes sleep necessary on academic performance. Being able to understand
the impact of sleep deprivation on academic performance will aid in comprehending the importance of sleep
especially for students to maintain a quality academic performance.

However, not everyone is getting sufficient sleep to function appropriately, especially students who
are exposed to a substantial level of pressure due to academic stresses. They are not able to sleep most of
the time due to the number of assignments, examinations and other academic responsibilities. The fact is
that students might not be able to learn according to school’s lessons in part because they are too tired
during the day, deprived of sleep at night, feeling sleepy or falling asleep in class the following day. Sleep
quality is very important among college students. Poor sleep quality has experienced higher levels of
anxiety, depression and emotional regulation which affect academic performance. College students with
poor sleep quality faces low pay attention on lecturing and lack of ability to attaining their memory. There
are many examples that cause sleep deprivation which is related to school stress. It includes being unhappy
with school related activities, too many responsibilities and heavy workload, studying for long hours, and
not having enough sleep. There are many factors that affect the academic performance of a student.
However, lack of sleep appears everywhere, which shows the importance of sleep for college students.

Therefore, the warning sign of inattentiveness and concentration problems often observed in
students in the class may after all are not due to exhaustion or lack of enthusiasm as traditionally perceived
by teachers rather it may be due to sleep deprivation. This research aims to provide readers more
information about the nature of sleep deprivation and its health implications. In view of the above, it is
relevant therefore, to conduct a study of this nature to understand and unveil some hidden and mostly
ignored factors that could be accounting for students’ poor performances in school.
 Statement of the Problem

The researchers aim to find out the possible effects of sleep deprivation on the academic
performance among college accounting students in University of the East (UE) concerning their physical
and mental health. In addition, this proposal seeks to inform and provide awareness so the teachers and the
institution should have some programs and activities to improve the sleeping pattern for the students to
perform better in their personal and professional life.

Specifically, this proposal aims to answer the following questions:

1. What are the possible factors that affect college accounting students’ poor sleeping habits?

2. How does sleep deprivation affect a college accounting student’s academic performance?

3. Do homework and projects are the main reasons why college accounting students experience sleep
deprivation?

4. What are the possible mental health awareness that can help college accounting students’ academic
performance to improve?
 Review of Related Literature

The relationships between sleep and performance have been studied in many different fields such
as human science, medicine, psychology, education, and business. This literature review presents
information on each aspect, sleep and performance. In the first section of the literature review, definitions
and general effects of sleep are reviewed. The second section discusses the influences of sleep on academic
performance among college students.

According to Epstein et al.,(n,d), sleep deprivation is a condition caused by lack of sleep. It can
cause a person to experience fatigue, weight change, social changes, clumsiness, and daytime sleepiness.
The optimal amount of sleep for a teenager is approximately nine hours. If a teenager sleeps less than nine
hours then they may experience sleep deprivation as stated by Noland (2000). Therefore, a student’s
academic ability, behavior, or physical potential can be affected by sleep deprivation. Hence, a student’s
grades will drop if they continually miss sleep (Bergin et al., 2000).

Studies have shown that low sleep quality is closely related to high stress as studied by Becker and
Adams (2008). Poor sleep quality is caused by sleep deprivation, which means that sleep deprivation is
related to high stress.

According to Murphy (2013), emotional and academic stresses were stated as having the most
negative impact on sleep. Stress is also commonly found in the college student population. College students
also often said that they feel stress when they have a lot of schoolwork and cannot get enough sleep.

Moreover, According to Better Health Channel (2010), sleep research suggests that a teenager
needs to sleep 8-10 hours every night. Not getting enough sleep regularly may lead to sleep deprivation.
The effects of having a lack of sleep may cause dramatic effects on a teenager’s life, impacting their mental
well-being, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. It can also affect academic
performance at school. These are some of the reasons why many teenagers regularly do not get enough
sleep:

Hormonal Time Shift - When teenagers are going to bed they didn't sleep that fast. They tend to adjust their
body clock for one to two hours before they get some sleep at night. Yet, while the teenager falls asleep
later, early school starts don't allow them to sleep in. This nightly “sleep debt” leads to chronic sleep
deprivation.
Using screen based devices - Using of smartphones and other devices before going to sleep may reduce the
time of sleep. According to study of Health and the Sleep Foundation, Teens who put down their
smartphones an hour before bed gain an extra 21 minutes at night, that's one hour and 45 minutes over the
school week.
Hectic after-school schedule - homeworks, sports, part-time work and social commitments can cut into
teenager’s sleeping time.
Leisure Activities - the lure of stimulating entertainment such as television, the internet and computer
gaming can keep a teenager out of bed.
Light Exposure - The lights from televisions, mobile phones, and computers can prevent the production of
melatonin to helps us sleep.
Sleep Disorder - sleep disorders such as, restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea this can affect a teenager’s
sleep.

In addition, effects of Teenage Sleep Deprivation were also discussed as shown below:

 concentration difficulties
 mentally ‘drifting off’ in class
 shortened attention span
 memory impairment
 poor decision making
 lack of enthusiasm
 moodiness and aggression
 depression
 risk-taking behaviour
 slower physical reflexes
 clumsiness, which may result in physical injuries
 reduced sporting performance
 reduced academic performance
 increased number of ‘sick days’ from school because of tiredness
 Truancy

Students should not make it a habit to stay up late at night. Porpova (2013) claimed that chronic
sleep deprivation in adolescents reduces the brain’s capacity to learn new information and can lead to
emotional issues like depression and aggression.

Furthemore, an article of Hackethal (2013) has shown that sleep deprivation might affect the frontal
lobes of the brain which controls decision-making functions. Even teenagers still need to get enough sleep
to avoid suffering the consequences of being sleep deprived.

According to Peri (2010), sleepiness slows down one’s thought processes and it impairs memory
which makes learning difficult. His study also showed that the quantity of sleep affects the cognitive and
mental health of a person. With his study, he was able to conclude that lack of sleep can lead to mood
problems and can hinder a person from thinking clearly. Studies show that having the recommended eight
hours of sleep is very important for the brain rejuvenates itself during sleep.

A number of things contribute to the lack of sleep among teens. Glosser (n.d.) states that social life,
caffeinated drinks, electronic media, depression and homework contribute to sleep deprivation among teens.
He asserts that sleep deprivation in teens may also have biological causes because their body clocks are
programmed to start later in the day, possibly for hormonal reasons.

Sleep deprivation can decrease academic performance by causing a person to have trouble
concentrating and paying attention as studied by Bergin et al., (2010)

In recent studies, seventy to eighty three percent of students do not obtain the optimal level of sleep.
This is due in part to students staying up late doing homework and studying, but caffeinated beverages and
leisure time activities also lead to students staying up to late (Gibson et al., 2010)

However, biological factors like stress and sleep problems add to sleep deprivation. Stress can
cause sleep deprivation which hurts academics. In turn, academic failure can lead to more stress. Since
students gain extra amounts of sleep on weekends to make up for their lack of sleep during the school week,
their biological clock, which regulates sleep, is off balance causing students to have energy at night and to
have an energy deficit while at school (Bergin & Black, 2010).

This accumulative sleep deprivation leads to academic deficiency by causing a student to be

irritable and impulsive which in turn leads to stress and lack of focus (Bergin, 2010).

Recent studies show there is a direct relationship between sleep and academic success due to stress
and lack of focus (Gibson et al., 2010). In addition to falling asleep in class, sleep deprivation will lower a
student’s motivation to learn and lower their will to get good grades as claimed by Axelrod (2008)

To sum up all the informations above, sleeping is a necessity for human survival and crucial to our
health. However, not getting enough sleep can result in hallucinations, irritability, depressive behaviour,
diabetes, poor dieting, interference with daily activities, lack of alertness and motivation as well as poor
academic performance among students. The stereotype of college students sometimes staying awake
extremely late at night in order to finish their assignments still persists. This is a very unhealthy lifestyle choice
if it is done repeatedly. In order for students to receive the most benefits from sleeping, studies suggest that
they receive seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Not only can this habit greatly improve one’s cognitive
functions, but it also leads to a healthier lifestyle by avoiding risks brought on by chronic sleep deprivation.
For students, this dilemma can be solved by scheduling more time to sleep, but many do not see the importance
of it. Some students even see value in studying throughout the night before a test the next morning because
they believe it will improve their chances of scoring well. However, it is much more beneficial for students to
maintain a regular and healthy sleep schedule, due to the fact that a significant loss of sleep can greatly inhibit
a student’s academic performance.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design:

The researchers will use the Causal-Comparative research design for the methodology of the study.
In this kind of research design, it is relevant to the study since it seeks to find relationships between
independent and dependent variables after an action or event has already occurred. The Causal-Comparative
design was chosen for the study because it allowed the researcher to look at data that was already available
which is the General Weighted Average (GWA) of the student and determine the cause and effect
relationship between the data based on a manipulated variable which is the number of hours of sleep of the
student from 1st to 4th year college who took up the course of Accountancy specifically Bachelor of Science
in Accountancy and Bachelor of Science in Management Accounting. The researchers will investigate how
student’s sleep quality affects their overall academic performance and to what extent is a student’s
academics hindered by sleep deprivation.

Sampling and Participants:

The researchers will use cluster sampling as their sampling method. The researchers divided the
population into separate groups. Then, a simple random sample was selected from the population. The
participants of the study were the college accounting students from 1st to 4th year then every college year
level will be divided into two which was the BSA and BSMA. From each course, the researchers selected
individual subjects via simple random sampling.

In identifying a valid sample size, the population in each course was gathered. The Slovin’s formula
was used in determining the correct sample. The sample of the population for the survey questionnaires
stood at 150 BSA and 150 BSMA from every year level, 15 students were chosen from each section. These
were all from college students who were currently taking up the course of Accountancy in University of
the East.

According to the Survey System, the researchers have a total respondent of 300. The settings will
be 95% of confidence level and 5 for confidence interval. The result will be including the margin of error
or all the invalid surveys. Between 90% (95-5) to 100% (95+5) are the chances of getting the right/valid
responses out of the 300 students.
Instruments:

The survey-questionnaire method was the research instruments used for data-gathering. Data were
collected using a 23-item questionnaire adopted from Alqarni et al. 2018, and based on the Egyptian Journal
of Hospital Medicine. The results of the survey were then processed by computing the weighted mean of
each survey item. Spearman’s correlation is used to test for correlation between the sleep score and the
academic score. Relevant literatures were also used to support the gathered findings. The questionnaire was
designed to gather information about the effects of sleep deprivation on the student’s academic perfomance.

Data Gathering Procedure:

The researchers prepared a survey questionnaire which covered all the variables included in their
statement of the problem then they presented it to their instructor and asked for her approval before they
were finally be able to reproduce enough copies of the questionnaires intended for their respondents to
answer.

After the validation of the instrument, the researchers secured consent from the administrators of
University of the East through formal writing. After given permission, the researchers explained the
purpose of the study to the selected participants of the said research locale and then they made sure each
participant corresponds to their predefined criteria. Data were collected through surveys.

Survey questionnaires were given to the college students who are taking up the course of
Accountancy in University of the East- Manila to obtain information about what is their sleeping habits and
if their sleep duration affecting their academic performance. Data from the respondents would be analyzed
by the researchers afterwards. Moreover, the analysis and observation from the data gathering would best
serve in helping the researchers in knowing the effects of sleep deprivation on the academic performance
of the accountancy students.

Data Analysis:

After the respondents have taken the questionnaires, the researchers collected the data
which came from the chosen respondents who have been surveyed prior to the research. Results of the
survey were presented in tables. The data collected from the field were tallied and analyzed by providing
a bar graph as well as pie graph and each question have a corresponding interpretation.

With this particular study, the researchers utilized documentary data in the form of articles from
journals and online magazines that were generally about the impact of sleep deprivation on the academic
performance of college accounting students as well as relevant literatures to support the findings of the
survey in order to meet the objectives of the study.
Conclusion:

The main objective of the study was to find out the effect of sleep deprivation on the academic
performance of the college accounting students. This result of the study showed, with high significance, the
more sleep a student receives on average per night will result in an increased grade point average. Good
quality sleep is essential for general well-being and optimum functioning of all organ systems. Such
research allows us to conclude, from past research and from the current study that the majority of people
are not receiving the amount of sleep necessary for optimal performance on academic tasks, along with
other related functioning of the brain. There are several reasons why college students are not getting the
amount of sleep necessary including, familial obligations, financial problems, academic workload,
household duties and stress. The sleep deprivation had a negative effect on the students’ academic
performance and the cognitive functions like memory, attention, concentration etc. So, health education
programs regarding duration and quality of the sleep should be emphasized in colleges to increase the
awareness of the importance of a healthy sleep. It is the responsibility of the educators and college
authorities to identify the variables that lead to poor sleep quality and take a active role to empower and
educate college students about good sleep habits to improve their performance. Sleep quality was related
in many ways to the academic achievement. Students at any age level need to begin to understand these
negative effects that sleep is having on their brain functioning and begin to change their sleep habits for
good.
References:

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Department of Health & Human Services. (2018, May 2). Teenagers and sleep. Retrieved from
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/teenagers-and-sleep.

Elliott, A. et al. (2014, December 11). A review of sleep deprivation studies evaluating the brain
transcriptome. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4409616/.

Iqbal, A. (n.d.). Study of Lack of Sleep Vs Academic Performance. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/4089215/Study_of_Lack_of_Sleep_Vs_Academic_Performance
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