Sleeping Patterns among Arabian Gulf University Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: Good sleeping patterns have a positive effect on students’ performance and their mental and physical abilities. However, some students do not give themselves the proper rest with many not getting the proper eight hours of sleep at night. A recent study on the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) pre-clerkship medical students indicated that they had insufficient hours of sleep and late sleeping hours. The aim of this study was to provide baseline data of all AGU medical students’ sleeping patterns. Methods: A 50% sample of students registered during the academic year 2009-2010 was chosen proportional to medical year, gender and nationality by multistage stratified sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire designed for the purpose of this study was used. Results: The study results indicate that AGU medical students’ sleeping patterns are not good as 42% of the students viewed their sleeping quality as “good”, and their sleeping hours are suboptimal. The majority (75%) of the students reported that their sleep is affected particularly by examination and assignments. over one fourth of the students attended AGU or AGU related outside activities without sleeping at night for at least once per week, with year 4 students having the highest proportion. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that AGU medical students do not adopt a good sleeping pattern. Intervention for improving these habits would be mainly through The Student Affairs Office, Counseling Unit and advisory system. Emphasis on good sleeping habits and time management should start during the orientation week for year 1 and throughout the year for year 4 medical students.