Implementing Sleep Hygiene and Stress Management Curriculum in a Physical Therapy Wellness Course

Olivia Naylor* and Miriam Leary, Division of Exercise Physiology, Department of Human Performance and Applied Exercise Science, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Field (Broad Category): Medical Sciences (Health Sciences) 

Student’s Major: Exercise Physiology 

Education is a central tenant in changing health behaviors and, for aspiring healthcare practitioners, understanding the role of wellness practices is critical for their own and patients’ wellbeing. Therefore, the purpose of this mixed-methods Scholarship of Teaching and Learning study was to determine if implementing Sleep Hygiene and Stress Management curriculum into a Physical Therapy Wellness Course would improve self-reported health outcomes. Validated surveys were administered online at the start and end of the 2019 summer semester, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). At the end of the semester, students also completed the Course Objectives Survey and were invited to complete SEI course evaluations, which were analyzed for common themes. Most (88%) students completed all surveys, but only half (54%) completed the course evaluations. There were no differences between pre and post assessments for the PSQI and the PSS (p > 0.05) and while few (12%) were getting more sleep because of this class, most had started incorporating mindfulness practices (62%). Most students felt the class gave them a better understanding of the neurobiology of sleep (8%) and the importance of promoting sleep for health and healing (74%) as well as how to apply strategies for resilience (65%). Feedback from the students recommended that the lecture on sleep be more application based, and that more interactive activities should be added to the course. Implementing curriculum on Sleep Hygiene and Stress Management through a required Wellness Course successfully educated students and improved health behaviors. 

Funding: N/A 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: My efforts were mainly voluntary