A study by two Ball State University faculty members show that students may not be the only sleep-deprived people in the classroom.
Ball State health professors Denise Amschler and James McKenzie conducted the study of 109 Delaware County educators in an unnamed school district.
Fifty percent of teachers surveyed admitted to missing or making errors because of a lack of sleep, while 25 percent said their teaching skills diminished, the survey said.
Forty-three percent said they averaged six or less hours of sleep, and about 64 percent said they felt drowsy during the school day, the survey said.
Amschler said she got the idea from doing sleep research on fifth graders. In doing so, teachers would often comment about the lack of sleep they were receiving, she said.
"I got to looking at literature on the subject and it seemed to me that nothing has been done on teachers," Amschler said. "I realized nobody has asked them about their needs."
The study was divided into three sections: survey questions, an open-ended section where teachers could write their concerns and questions about demographics.
The study also found that many educators have part-time jobs in addition to the school day.
"Generally, it confirmed my suspicions," Amschler said. "I think this points to more education about sleep nutrition among teachers and not just students."
However, Amschler said she is unaware how the survey translates to Ball State faculty.
"The study's purpose was to start raising awareness," she said. "I don't want to speculate on how individuals at Ball State handle their sleep."
Sophomore interior design major Kelsey Jones said she doesn't think her professors are sleep deprived.
"Some professors get more sleep than others because they have to do lesson plans and they go in early to help students," Jones said. "The professors know how much sleep they have to get."
The amount of sleep an educator needs depends on the individual, Amschler said. Only a third of school personnel admitted to getting a good night's sleep, the study said.
Mellisa Holtzman, a Ball State sociology professor, said she normally has a lot of energy and only notices her lack of sleep at the end of the week.
"I get five to six hours a night and it's not enough," Holtzman said. "This is a hard profession with a lot of work. Grading papers, socializing with family and doing other things often get in the way of sleep."
Tony Edmonds, a history professor, said he averages seven or eight hours a night because of his schedule.
"In general, I know some professors that don't get enough sleep," Edmonds said. "But, one sense of academic career is freedom. I only have three classes I have to be at that I can morph my schedule around. Overall, there is just a lot more flex in my schedule than others."
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