The Desire to Remain Awake at Night among Students of Tertiary Institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria: the Health Implications
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2010-03
Authors
Ojikutu, R.A
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Research has shown that sleep is a universal phenomenon that is present in all species, though, its functions remain unclear but if wakefulness is prolonged beyond its physiological duration, severe physiological and cognitive deficit occurs (Tononi & Cirelli, 2007). Apart from other natural means, such as \"sleeping during the day\" to compensate for lack of sleep at night , it is not uncommon in Nigeria to find students of tertiary education who in an attempt to stay awake to read at night adopt series of methods to stay awake at night. This includes \"keeping legs in water\", chewing kolanut\", \"taking bland coffee\" and other substances that enhance wakefulness. The seeming consequence of the aforementioned is that the use of substances to stay awake at night may inadvertently lead to substance abuse with its negative health implication while it may adversely affect performance in Examination contrary to the expectation of the student. The current research considered five tertiary institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria from where a sample of 500 students was selected using multi-stage sampling techniques. Variables such as Marital Status, Respondents' Perception of himself as a drug addict, Type of school attended, Method used in staying awake, Having constant headache, Feeling agitated, Feeling of confusion and agitation, Frequency of visit to hospital were all found to be significantly affected by the desire of the respondent to stay awake.
Description
To access the full text of this article, kindly contact the University Librarian- Dr. Olukemi Fadehan via the administrators: Dr. Yetunde Zaid (yzaid@unilag.edu.ng) or Dr. Christopher Okiki (cokiki@unilag.edu.ng) of the University of Lagos Library.
Keywords
physiological and cognitive factors , Students , Lagos State , Studying
Citation
Ojikutu, R.A (2010) The Desire to Remain Awake at Night among Students of Tertiary Institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria: the Health Implications. International Journal of Academic Research, Vol.2(2) 29-34pp.