Abstract
Background: Sleep deprivation and drowsiness are very common among
university students. The aim of this study was to examine the sleep quality and
academic achievement among university students across all medical disciplines
in Northwest of Iran.
Methods: This study was based on data from a longitudinal study, the “Health and Lifestyle of University Students”
(HeLiS). The Pittsburgh
Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a self-administered questionnaire consisting of
general information about sleep quality, was completed by students during the
first eight weeks of the first semester and academic achievement was assessed via
Grade Point Average (GPA) in the two semesters following the administration of
the PSQI.
Results: The mean age of students was 19.16±1.04 and the majority were
female (64%). The mean overall score on the PSQI was 6.87±2.25; the majority of
students (70%) had a global PSQI score greater than 5, indicating they were
poor sleepers. Only 28% reported getting over 7 hours of sleep. Female students
had higher scores than male students in subjective sleep quality, which was
statistically significant (2.15 vs. 1.95 respectively, P
= 0.01); however, there was no difference between males and females on other
component scores or on the global score. Results of a multiple regression model
showed that PSQI score was a predictor of academic achievement (β=-.07,
P=0.035), which implies that GPA will be lower among students whose quality of
sleep is lower.
Conclusion: Based on our sleep quality should be considered and assessed, and
sleep hygiene should be promoted among medical university students in order to
improve academic achievement.