Sleepiness, sleep deprivation, quality of life, mental symptoms and perception of academic environment in medical students

Abstract

Background It has been previously shown that a high percentage of medical students have sleep problems that interfere with academic performance and mental health. Methods To study the impact of sleep quality, daytime somnolence, and sleep deprivation on medical students, we analyzed data from a multicenter study with medical students in Brazil (22 medical schools, 1350 randomized medical students). We applied questionnaires of daytime sleepiness, quality of sleep, quality of life, anxiety and depression symptoms and perception of educational environment. Results 37.8% of medical students presented mild values of daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale - ESS) and 8.7% presented moderate/severe values. The percentage of female medical students that presented ESS values high or very high was significantly greater than male medical students (p < 0.05). Students with lower ESS scores presented significantly greater scores of quality of life and perception of educational environment and lower scores of depression and anxiety symptoms, and these relationships showed a dose-effect pattern. Medical students reporting more sleep deprivation showed significantly greater odds ratios of presenting anxiety and depression symptoms and lower odds of good quality of life or perception of educational environment. Conclusions There is a significant association between sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness with the perception of quality of life and educational environment in medical students.

Sleep Disorders and Their Associated Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Data from Peruvian Medical Students

“…Students who suffered from symptoms of anxiety or depression had a lower quality of sleep; this result is similar to that of other studies [ 14 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. This association could be because poor sleep quality acts as a symptom, comorbidity, or cause of mental disorders (anxiety or depression) [ 42 ] since sleep disturbances can be an early marker of depression or anxiety [ 43 , 44 ].…”

Use of prescribed psychotropic drugs among medical students and associated factors: a cross-sectional study

“… 29 Insomnia is a risk factor and, at the same time, a sign of mental health impairment. 30 , 31 Among the participants in the present study, it was observed that having less sleep was a risk factor for a diagnosis of some psychiatric disorder and for incorrect medication use. In other words, students who said that they were sleeping for fewer hours a night had higher prevalence of mental disorders and tended to forget to take their psychotropic drugs.…”

Um programa de mentoria para estudantes de Medicina de uma universidade do Centro-Oeste brasileiro

“…Isso tem resultado no avivamento da competição não salutar, especialmente fomentada pela baixa oferta de vagas de residência médica 13. O somatório desses desafios torna o caminho do aluno de Medicina, muitas vezes, solitário e permeado por sofrimento. Para a maioria dos estudantes,constitui-se um grande desafio lidar com esse conjunto de experiências, de maneira que muitos podem apresentar queda em sua qualidade de vida [14][15][16] e de seu desempenho acadêmico 17 , adoecimento psíquico e até mesmo redução de sua possibilidade de permanência na universidade, especialmente nos primeiros anos do curso 18 .…”