Mental Health

Many university and college athletes struggle to balance academic and athletic demands, often sacrificing rest and sleep. Shorter sleep duration and poor sleep quality contribute to disordered sleep in many student athletes, including sleep paralysis and hallucinations while falling asleep or waking up. Preliminary research findings revealed the degree to which athletes reported these symptoms was linked to the severity of depression symptoms. This suggests suggest that sleep paralysis and hallucinations may be warning signs of another medical problem.