University of the Witwatersrand study finds loadshedding worsened student sleep and grades
A 2023 study by sleep scientists and the South African Society for Sleep and Health surveyed over 1,100 students at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, revealing that nearly 75% felt their sleep was affected by loadshedding. The majority reported worse sleep quality, especially fragmented sleep, due to anxiety over power-dependent appliances and internet connectivity. This disruption impacted their academic performance, highlighting broader implications for education in regions with unreliable electricity.
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South African university students experienced significant sleep disruption and anxiety linked to the country’s severe loadshedding in 2023, according to a recent survey conducted by sleep scientists and the South African Society for Sleep and Health (SASSH).
The study, carried out between August and November 2023 at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, gathered responses from over 1,100 students. Nearly three in four students reported that loadshedding affected their sleep, with four out of five saying it worsened their sleep quality.
The most common issue was fragmented sleep, with students waking multiple times during the night. Many students expressed anxiety about power cuts affecting essential appliances such as fridges, phones, and internet routers, as well as concerns about keeping food fresh and maintaining internet connectivity.
This anxiety and sleep disruption were linked to poorer academic outcomes, with students reporting impacts on their studying and grades.
South Africa experienced power cuts on 335 days of 2023, the worst year of loadshedding in recent history. While the country has not had such frequent planned outages for over a year and a half since, the national grid remains under pressure.
The findings underscore the importance of considering the health and academic impacts of unreliable electricity supply, particularly for students who already face challenges with irregular sleep and heavy workloads. The study suggests that access to backup power sources could mitigate some of these negative effects.