Affiliation:
1. Department of Community Medicine, Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
2. Department of General Medicine, Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Abstract
Abstract
Background:
Medical students are vulnerable to sleep disturbances as they navigate life through academic stress, long on-call duties, emotional challenges, and exhaustion. Insufficient sleep negatively affects cognitive functions and fine motor skills, leading to deficiencies in attention, increased drowsiness while driving, propensity for risk-taking behavior, heightened risk of depression, impaired interpersonal relationships, and the potential to impact learning technical aspects of curriculum as well as delivering quality patient care.
Objectives:
The objective of this study was to measure the sleep quality and its determining factors among undergraduate medical students of a teaching institute in Telangana, South India.
Methodology:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 401 undergraduate medical students. A semi-structured questionnaire including the sociodemographic details, medical history, and screen time, followed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) which assesses the time of quality sleep, frequency of troubled sleep, etc., over the last 1 month was used. The quality of sleep score of >5 indicates poor sleep quality.
Results:
The mean age was 20.41 years (standard deviation [SD] =2.08). Known comorbidities were present among 17 (4.2%), and 13 (3.2%) had psychiatric conditions. Poor sleep quality was present among 70% of medical undergraduates. The mean global PSQI score was 6.22 (SD = 2.9). The factors found significantly associated with poor sleep quality were academic stress (P = 0.009; odds ratio [OR] = 2.154 [CI = 1.250–3.713]), headache and self-medication (P = 0.008; OR = 1.868 [CI = 1.178–2.964]), and nighttime screen use (P < 0.001; OR = 18.12 [CI = 5.48–59.87]).
Conclusion:
Sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality is a major concern among medical undergraduates. It is important to have a proper sleep–wake routine and maintain good sleep hygiene. This includes reducing the use of screens before bedtime and addressing any underlying health conditions, including mental health issues, to improve sleep quality and overall well-being.