Sleep Hygiene Practices and Their Relation to Sleep Quality in Medical Students of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Poor quality of sleep is a distressing and worrying condition that can disturb academic performance of medical students. Sleep hygiene practices are one of the important variables that affect sleep quality. The objective of this study was to assess association between sleep hygiene practices and sleep quality of medical students in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Methods:In this descriptive-correlational study, a total of 285 medical students completed a self-administered questionnaire. Demographic data, sleep-wake schedule in weekday and weekend, and sleep duration were collected. Students' sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were analyzed by SPSS Ver 13. Results: Overall, 164 (57.5) of students had poor sleep quality. Mean global PSQI score and average score of four subscales were significantly higher in male than female. Regression analysis showed that male students (β=-0.85, P<0.05), students at senior level (β=-0.81, P<0.05), married students (β=-0.45, P<0.05), and those with improper sleep hygiene practices slept worse. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the prevalence of poor sleep quality in medical students is high. Improper sleep hygiene behaviors might be a reason for poor quality of sleep in medical students.

Sleep hygiene awareness: Its relation to sleep quality among medical students in King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“…This result is consistent with the results of a previous study conducted among medical students at KSU in 2009. [14] This estimated score is also consistent with the average of poor pattern of sleep in Iran,[17] Hong Kong,[18] and Romania. [19]…”

Prevalence of sleep disturbances in Chinese university students: a comprehensive meta‐analysis

“…The associations between gender and sleep disturbances have been controversial. For example, female students had a higher prevalence of sleep disturbances compared with male students in Peru and Pakistan (Sanchez et al ., ; Surani et al ., ), but the result was the opposite in Iran and Lebanon (Siddiqui et al ., ; Yazdi et al ., ), while no significant gender difference was found in the USA (Buboltz et al ., ). In this study, medical students (25.5%) were more vulnerable to sleep disturbances than non‐medical students (17.3%), which is consistent with previous findings (Shad et al ., ).…”

Sleep quality in relation to sleep hygiene knowledge and practice, chronotype and lifestyle behaviour among healthcare students

“…Sleep hygiene knowledge and practices were assessed by the questionnaires designed for the purpose of this research, and on the basis of literature data on the activities that can affect sleep patterns positively or negatively [2,4,6,13]. The 17-item Sleep Hygiene Knowledge Questionnaire (SHKQ) was used to assess knowledge of activities that help or interfere with sleep patterns, where 1 point was given for each correct response, 0 for incorrect, whereas the global score ranged from 0 to 17.…”

“…Sleep pattern is regulated by the interaction of three major factors: homeostatic, internal circadian and behavioral factors [1,2]. Given that behavioral factors, such as sleep hygiene, often exceed the homeostatic and circadian factors in the regulation of sleep, it is important to know those behaviors that affect its quality and which may possibly cause sleep disorders [3].…”