Quality and Quantity of Sleep and its Effects on Academic Performance Among Medical and Nonmedical Students

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impact of sleep quality and quantity on the academic performance of medical and non-medical students. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Various universities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad from Jun to Aug 2022. Methodology: The study included medical and non-medical students of either gender, aged 18–24 years. A structured, validated questionnaire, comprising two sections, was used. The first part consisted of demographic information. The second part comprised the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a measure of the quality and pattern of sleep. Results: A total of 356 participants were divided into two groups: medical and non-medical. Out of 192 medical students, 98(50.5%) reported excellent sleep, 60(30.9%) reported good sleep, and 36(18.6%) reported poor sleep. Out of 194 medical students, 88(45.4%) were excellent in academics, 60(30.9%) were good, and 46(23.7%) had poor performance. Out of 164 non-medical students, 62(37.2%) reported excellent sleep, 70(42.7%) reported good sleep, and 32(19.5%) reported poor sleep. Among these 164 non-medical students, 84(51.2%) had excellent, 41(25.0%) had good, and 39(23.8%) had poor academic performance. A significant association (p<0.05) was found between the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score and academic performance. Conclusion: The majority of medical and non-medical students slept for less than 7 hours each night. Students who got excellent sleep performed well in both groups.

Keywords

• Academic performance, Medical students, Sleep quality.