Association between Sleep Quality and Physical Activity in Physical Education Students in Chile in the Pandemic Context: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Due to the health restrictions put in place to face the pandemic, a decrease in the levels of physical activity and an alteration in the quality of sleep have been observed. One group susceptible to these changes is represented by students of physical education pedagogy, who, under normal conditions, present high levels of physical activity. However, the correlation between these variables has not been studied in the context of a pandemic lockdown. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the quality of sleep and physical activity level as a function of gender and evaluate the association between quality of sleep and physical activity level in physical education pedagogy students during the COVID-19 pandemic considering sociodemographic and health characteristics. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire was applied to 280 Chilean university students of physical education pedagogy. The survey considered sociodemographic information, healthy habits, and self-reported health and included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for physical activity levels and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality. Results: The prevalence of good sleep quality was 20.4%. Furthermore, 52.9% of students had a high level of physical activity. Regression analysis between PSQI global score and age-adjusted physical activity levels indicated that being male and presenting a high level of physical activity favored a better PSQI global score. Conclusions: The prevalence of good sleep quality was low in general and significantly lower in women. Being male and having a high level of physical activity during quarantine benefits good sleep quality, regardless of age.

Factors Affecting Sleep Quality among University Medical and Nursing Students: A Study in Two Countries in the Mediterranean Region

“…Our findings reveal a significantly negative correlation with intense physical activity, which is consistent with some previous studies indicating a deterioration in sleep quality at higher levels of activity [82]. Importantly, the literature also includes research findings consistent with our results [27,30,83]. However, the lack of association with other levels of physical activity underlines the need for further research in this specific area, since it is well established that regular physical activity of a moderate intensity can improve sleep quality, reduce the time taken to fall asleep and improve sleep in general [29,84,85].…”

Associação entre qualidade do sono e isolamento social em praticantes de musculação

“…A maioria dos participantes deste estudo apresentou uma qualidade do sono ruim. Dessa forma, esta pesquisa não condiz com diversos estudos publicados na literatura que indicam uma relação entre a musculação e a qualidade do sono durante o período de isolamento social (MERELLANO-NAVARRO et al, 2022;MORBÉE et al, 2023). Em outras palavras, apesar de haver uma grande quantidade de praticantes de musculação, as pessoas não apresentaram uma qualidade do sono satisfatória, o que pode ter sido influenciado pelo horário de realização deste exercício.…”

Intensity of a Physical Exercise Programme Executed through Immersive Virtual Reality

“…The practical applications of our results allow us to support the implementation of interventions within universities using IVR not only as a tool to enhance professional training but also as an option to promote PA due to the high percentage of MVPA generated in short sessions. This is relevant, as university students are a population with poor health habits and little time for PA practice due to the demands of their education [48].…”