Sleep Improvement Project for Syracuse MBC438 - Data Analysis and Decision Making
Project Definition: A. Problem statement The impacts of sleep deprivation are well documented and can cause decreased cognitive function, health issues and increased irritability1. From 4/28/18 to 12/31/18, I was able to measure my sleep statistics nightly and found that I only sleep an average of 6 hours 36 minutes per night. This is below The National Sleep Foundation recommendation of 7+ hours of sleep per night for someone my age.
Since I’m returning to school full time for the next 18 months to complete a Master’s Degree in Data Science, I’m concerned that my lack of sleep could negatively affect my GPA which could result in lower initial and on-going pay when I return to work.
B. Personal Impact In a Rand study from 2016, the authors reference a study where one hour of additional sleep increased student scores by an average of 7.75%. Another study by the Park Place Economist, noted that a one point increase in GPA equates to an annual increase in salary of $2900. So, if I was able to increase my sleep per night by 1 hour while in graduate school, this would equate to ~$17,980 in additional salary over the next 20 years.
The key output (y) that will be measured is the hours of Total Sleep from 1/16/19 to 2/13/19.
C. Goals My goal is to increase my Total Sleep by 1 hour per night.
D. Project scope There are many different factors which impact how much sleep we receive each night. The activities during our day cause bedtimes to sometimes be pushed later and earlier wakeups to “catch up” on activities. For this project, I’m collecting data on where I spend my time in the following “awake” categories – Family/Friends, Chores, Study, Entertainment, Meals, Class, Sleep, Personal, Financial, Reading, and Travel. I’m also using an application called SleepTracker to record my Total Sleep each night.
I’m also tracking other qualitative variables such as food before bedtime, exercise, stress, caffeine, joint/muscle pain, electronics use before bedtime, temperature and use of sleep aids to see if there is any correlation with these items and my Total Sleep. There are likely other external variables that impact sleep but those listed above are some that can be measured and tracked with a log or available technology.
E. Team For this project, I will only be tracking my personal sleep so no other involvement will be required to collect this data from others. It will be interesting to collect anecdotal information from my family to see if they have seen any changes in my level of tiredness or irritability but this will only be reference information.
F. Project plan • 1/2/19-1/16/19 – DEFINE (Define the project goals and deliverables) • 1/16/19-2/6/19 – MEASURE (Measure the process to determine the current performance, quantify the problem) • 2/6/19-2/13/19 – ANALYZE (Analyze and determine the root cause(s) of the defects) • 2/13/19-3/6/19 – IMPROVE (Improve the process by eliminating defects) • 3/6/19-3/13/19 – CONTROL (Control future process performance)
Sources 1 Fulke, P. (2010). Sleep deprivation causes, effects and treatment. New York: Nova Science Publ.