Sleep disorders before stress tests

Stress is the main cause of bad sleep. Alcohol and Niktotinkonsum play only a minor role

24/10/2014

Sleep problems before exams are a widespread and well-known phenomenon. The causes are less well-known. Matthias Zunhammer Peter Eichhammer and Volker Busch, researchers at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Regensburg, have addressed the question of the causes in a questionnaire study and recently published the results in the journal „PLoS One“released.

According to the press release of the University of Regensburg, age, gender, state of health and test-induced changes in alcohol or nicotine consumption have no significant effect on the quality of sleep.

„We were initially interested in whether examinees sleep badly because they consume more caffeine during the study phase“, explains Matthias Zunhammer, author of the study. „We also wanted to investigate the possible influence of nicotine and alcohol.“ The researchers interviewed 150 students at the University of Regensburg.

As a result, although the consumption of coffee increased by more than 50 percent during the examination phases, the students had a subjective impact on the quality of the sleep.

The results of alcohol consumption were comparable. Although the students consumed on average only half of the normally consumed alcohol, the sleep quality had not improved significantly. Only the nicotine consumption seems to have a slight influence. But since only 10 percent of the subjects are smokers, so the researchers, it could draw no scientifically relevant conclusions. That's why study leader PD Dr. med. Volker Busch: „Stress in itself probably plays a greater role in sleep during the exam than the accompanying changes in the consumption of caffeine and alcohol.“

According to the researchers, examination periods are accordingly „interesting models for the investigation of stress-induced sleep problems and the underlying mechanisms.“ (Jp)

Picture: Tanja