Improved sleep patterns positively affect learning outcome among Danish nursing students

Too little sleep and poor quality of sleep lead to reduced brain activity and learning as well as increase the risk of erroneous behaviour. In addition, it leads to bad mood, tiredness, poor social competences, risk of reporting in sick and development of stress and attrition. Research indicates that especially young people, sleep too little and have poor quality of sleep. Learning outcome and ability to manage unpredictability and work pressure in their nursing practice are thus negatively affected. To bridge the gap between theoretical education and clinical practice may thus be challenging. Sleep physiology is taught at the nursing education programme; this does not mean that nursing students develop good sleep habits.
Methods:
To support learning an innovative method was chosen where nursing students were motivated to develop good sleep habits through peer learning. Nursing students were taught in groups by other students, so-called sleep ambassadors. On the basis of a training programme they developed a creative concept with exercises, tests (memory and power of concentration) and social activities in connection with theoretical teaching in the subject of sleep. This concept was followed-up by social media activities motivated the nursing students to change their sleep habits.
Results:
This project has been completed by one of two classes of first semester students at the nursing education programme at UCN. This class demonstrated better examination results and a lower drop-oup rate compared with the other class. Moreover, the project had a positive impact on the study environment.
Conclusion:
Despite statistical uncertainty, the programme has been implemented at the nursing education programme. As a part of the study introduction and due to the professional content of the programme it demonstrated positive effect on the study environment. Through peer learning, the ambassadors will promote another project on health behaviour among another group of nursing students.

A presumed positive side effect is that nursing students become more aware of sleep problems among patients. Moreover, improved sleep patterns among nurses benefit patient safety as the number of errors will decrease.