Prevalence of sleep disorders among medical students of Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Sleep disorders are a common medical problem and can affect health and quality of life. There are multiple types of sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, restless legs/periodic limb movement disorder, circadian rhythm disorders, sleepwalking and nightmares. Medical students appear to be more liable to develop sleep disorders due to their high academic load.Design and Methods: This study seeks to estimate the prevalence of sleep disorders among Umm Al-Qura University medical students and associated risk factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine of Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A self administrated questionnaire was used to collect the data including socio-demographic data and sleep-50 questionnaire. Four hundred and thirty-eight (438) medical students from the second year to the sixth year were recruited to the study.Results: Three hundred and twenty-three participants (73.8%) complained of at least one sleep disorder. The most prevalent sleep disorder among students was narcolepsy at 226 (51.6%). Female students, second year students and students spending significant time watching television or on smartphones were more affected than others with p values of 0.001, 0.005, and 0.004, respectively.Conclusions: Sleep disorders are common among medical students. It is essential to detect and address them before their condition deteriorates.

Prevalence of insomnia and related psychological factors with coping strategies among medical students in clinical years during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…According to a regression-analysis we found that the females were 1.67 times higher risk of insomnia as compared to male’s medical clinical students. Our finding was congruent with another study’s findings where female students, were reported to be having insomnia ( Abdelmoaty Goweda et al, 2020 ). Another study reported similar findings as stated that here is a greater risk of stress and insomnia in females compared to male ( Bamuhair et al, 2015 ).…”

Asociación entre alteraciones en el sueño y problemas de salud mental en los estudiantes de Medicina durante la pandemia de la COVID-19

“…En concordancia a estos datos, un estudio en Arabia Saudita realizado antes del COVID-19 mostró que 77,2% de estudiantes iban a dormir pasada la medianoche 32 . Este retraso en el inicio del sueño se puede relacionar a la alta carga académica, las horas de exposición a pantallas, insomnio y problemas de ansiedad que tuvieron tendencia a aumentar en la coyuntura actual 33 . Además, nuestro estudio revela alta prevalencia de insomnio (60.1%) que se asemeja a lo observado en Marruecos 34 , pero, con amplia diferencia de otro estudio previo a la pandemia (18,3%) 35 .…”

Lifestyle in Undergraduate Students and Demographically Matched Controls during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain

“…During the first semester of 2020, especially during population lockdowns, multiple studies have shown the remarkable impact of COVID-19 pandemic on most lifestyle behaviors of undergraduate students. Thus, significant rates of sleep disturbances have been observed [9,10], as well as decreased physical activity levels and increased sedentary behaviors [9,[11][12][13]. A worsening of nutritional and diet quality was also described [14], although a greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was observed [15] during confinement.…”