February 2015 Vol. 3 No.2

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Satti GMH
El-bakri N

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Original Research Article

The Prevalence of Sleep Problems and its Impact on Sleep Quality and Academic Performance

Gwiria M.H. Satti^1,2*, Hanan F. Alsaaid³, Nihal M. Nabil^1,4, Abdullah A. Saeed¹, Nasir AlHamdan¹ and Nahid K. El-bakri⁵

¹Department of Medical Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, King Fahad Medical City, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
²Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan
³Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
⁴Department of Anatomy, Alexandria University, Egypt
⁵Research Center, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

*Correspondence Author’s E-mail: gsatti@kfmc.med.sa

Accepted January 21, 2015

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examines the prevalence of sleep habits and problems among female medical students, and their correlation with perceived sleep quality and academic performance, using a self-administered questionnaire of Sleep and Daytime Habits (QS and DH). Grade Point Average (GPA) and Self Perceived Performance Grade (SPPG) were recorded. About 25% reported sleep problems. Perceived sleep quality was reported as excellent by 55.2% during no exams and by 28% during examination periods. The most prevalent sleep habit is going to bed late at night (Prevalence; 0.97), followed by drinking coffee late at night (Prevalence; 0.61). Taking sleeping pills prevalence was 0.21. The most two prevalent sleep problems were difficulty in falling asleep and wake up because of noise reaching a prevalence of 0.84, and 0.82 respectively. Leisure activity has significant correlation to both quality of sleep and GPA; p<0.05. The quality of sleep was significantly correlated with getting late to bed, nightmares, tired feeling in the morning and using sleeping pills (p<0.05). GPA was only negatively correlated with sleep latency, and use of sleeping pills (p<0.05). Proper counseling, better planning and support should be provided to students likely to suffer from sleep disorders.

Keywords: Academic performance, Medical students, Riyadh, Sleep problems, Sleep