Sleep hygiene among veterinary medical students

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to better understand veterinary medical students’ sleep hygiene and identify the extent to which sleep hygiene behaviors may result in consequences (either positive or negative) for students.SAMPLE:A total of 187 doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) program students at a large College of Veterinary Medicine in the United States.METHODS:The Epworth Sleep Scale and Daytime Sleepiness Scale were administered to 393 students enrolled in the DVM program.RESULTS:About 55.1% of students reported <7 h of sleep per night, 28.9% reported having trouble sleeping, and 50.3% reported feeling sleepy all day. With respect to sleep quality, 5.3% described it as excellent, 52.4% as good, 34.2% as fair, and 8.0% as poor.CONCLUSIONS:A significant percentage of veterinary medical students exhibit poor sleep hygiene habits that may be detrimental to both their health and academic endeavors.

Sleep Quality and Sleepiness Among Veterinary Medical Students Over an Academic Year

“…Veterinary medical education curricula are individually tailored by each institution and no two are identical although there may be similarities. However, these findings combined with those in the previously referenced study do indicate that this is an issue that should be investigated at other institutions (21). Secondly, PSQI and ESS are very general measures of overall sleep health and do not reveal specific objective data about sleep habits and hygiene.…”

“…However, almost no information is available about the sleep health of veterinary students. The lone available study in this area revealed that >50% of students reported getting less than the recommended amount of sleep as well as having significant daytime sleepiness (21). In that study 28% of students reported having trouble sleeping, 42% rated their sleep quality as fair or poor, and 68% reported driving while drowsy (21).…”

The quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness and their association with quality of school life and school achievement among students

“…Studies suggest that girls are more prone to daytime sleepiness; however, this was not the case with all investigations, as some researchers suggest that there are no gender differences in this matter. [ 57 58 59 60 ]…”