Quality of Sleep and Its Correlates among Yemeni Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

The Worldwide Prevalence of Sleep Problems Among Medical Students by Problem, Country, and COVID-19 Status: a Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Meta-regression of 109 Studies Involving 59427 Participants

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Several studies have found that medical students have a significant prevalence of sleep issues, such as poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and inadequate sleep duration. The purpose of this review is to carefully evaluate the current research on sleep problems among medical students and, as a result, estimate the prevalence of these disturbances. The EMBASE, PsychINFO, PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science and retrieved article reference lists were rigorously searched and rated for quality. Random effects meta-analysis was performed to compute estimates.

Recent Findings

The current meta-analysis revealed an alarming estimated pooled prevalence of poor sleep quality (K = 95, N = 54894) of 55.64% [95%CI 51.45%; 59.74%]. A total of 33.32% [95%CI 26.52%; 40.91%] of the students (K = 28, N = 10122) experienced excessive sleepiness during the day. The average sleep duration for medical students (K = 35, N = 18052) is only 6.5 h per night [95%CI 6.24; 6.64], which suggests that at least 30% of them get less sleep than the recommended 7-9 h per night.

Summary

Sleep issues are common among medical students, making them a genuine problem. Future research should focus on prevention and intervention initiatives aimed at these groups.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40675-023-00258-5.

Association of sleep duration and quality with depression Among University Students and Faculty

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Highly competitive and demanding environments in educational institutions led to reduced sleep time for both students and faculty globally. The primary objective of this study was to determine the duration and quality of sleep among students and faculty of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU). The secondary objective was to explore the relationship between depression and sleep duration and quality among students and faculty.

METHODS

The study was conducted during 2021 in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. An online survey was disseminated among the university students. The survey form included: demographic data, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness scale (ESS). The responses were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 509 responses satisfying the inclusion criteria were included (323 student and 186 faculty). The average sleep duration for the entire cohort was 6.21 ± 1.32 hours, with 6.5% sleeping less than 5 hours per night. The mean PSQI score was 7.61 ± 3.09, with 73.1% falling in the poor sleep quality category (PSQI score >5). The mean PHQ9 score was 8.86 ± 6.20, with 63.9% falling in the  mild depression category. The mean ESS score was 6.59 ± 4.02, with 11% having a score >10 (corresponding to excessive daytime sleepiness).

CONCLUSIONS

A significant proportion of surveyed students and faculty IAU suffer from sleep insufficiency, poor sleep quality, and mild degree of depression. Initiatives to tackle the issue of poor sleep quality and quantity among university students and faculty are required.

Sleep quality among undergraduate students of a medical college in Nepal during COVID-19 pandemic: an online survey

Background Good sleep quality is associated with a diverse range of positive outcomes such as better health, less daytime sleepiness, well-being and proper psychological functioning. Sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality leads to many metabolic, endocrine, and immune changes. Many studies have shown changes in sleep schedule along with worsening of sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among students of a medical college in Kathmandu, Nepal from January 13, 2021 to February 15, 2021. A stratified random sampling technique was used. Data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Questionnaires that were completely filled were included and analyzed using STATA vs. 15. Results 168(n=190) medical students filled out the questionnaires with a response rate of 88.42%. Around 30% (n=51) of respondents had poor sleep quality (PSQI total score of > 5) with an average PSQI score of 4.24±2.19. Unadjusted logistic regression analysis showed significantly higher odds of poor sleep quality among females (OR, 2.25; CI, 1.14-4.43) compared with male and the relation persists even after adjusting with age and year in medical school (aOR, 2.81; CI, 1.35-5.86).  Adjusting with age and gender, 4 th-year MBBS students had 82% lesser odds of having poor sleep quality compared to 2 nd-year MBBS students (aOR, 0.18; CI, 0.04-0.76). Our study is suggestive of poor sleep quality common among medical students. Conclusions More than a quarter of medical students have a poor sleep quality as per our study. So, education and awareness should be raised among medical students regarding the detrimental effects of poor quality sleep on daily activities, physical and mental well-being, and the overall quality of life.

Sleep quality among undergraduate students of a medical college in Nepal during COVID-19 pandemic: an online survey

Background

Good sleep quality is associated with a diverse range of positive outcomes such as better health, less daytime sleepiness, well-being and proper psychological functioning. Sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality leads to many metabolic, endocrine, and immune changes. Many studies have shown changes in sleep schedule along with worsening of sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among students of a medical college in Kathmandu, Nepal from January 13, 2021 to February 15, 2021. A stratified random sampling technique was used. Data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Questionnaires that were completely filled were included and analyzed using STATA vs. 15.

Results

168(n=190) medical students filled out the questionnaires with a response rate of 88.42%. Around 30% (n=51) of respondents had poor sleep quality (PSQI total score of > 5) with an average PSQI score of 4.24±2.19. Unadjusted logistic regression analysis showed significantly higher odds of poor sleep quality among females (OR, 2.25; CI, 1.14-4.43) compared with male and the relation persists even after adjusting with age and year in medical school (aOR, 2.81; CI, 1.35-5.86).  Adjusting with age and gender, 4 ^th-year MBBS students had 82% lesser odds of having poor sleep quality compared to 2 ^nd-year MBBS students (aOR, 0.18; CI, 0.04-0.76). Our study is suggestive of poor sleep quality common among medical students.

Conclusions

More than a quarter of medical students have a poor sleep quality as per our study. So, education and awareness should be raised among medical students regarding the detrimental effects of poor quality sleep on daily activities, physical and mental well-being, and the overall quality of life.