Sleep quality assessment among Iranian postgraduate academics

Document Type : Original Research

Author
H. Riazi
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Having a good quality sleep is essential for college students to support their academic success, physical health, mental well-being, and overall productivity. In this study, we evaluated the sleep quality among graduate students studying medical physiology at Tarbiat Modares University.

Materials and Methods: 46 students including 11 master's and 31 doctoral students, and also 4 postdoctoral researchers participated in this study. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire.

Results: The overall sleep quality score of participants was 6.8±0.49, indicating that the students faced poor sleep quality. Sleep disturbance was significantly higher in female than male students (p<0.05). Moreover, students with higher age, married or engaged in carrying out the practical experiments related to their thesis had a lower score (p<0.05) (i.e. better performance) in the daily functioning component compared to other students.

Conclusion: This study showed that medical physiology students have poor sleep quality. This undesirable sleep quality can impair the students learning and research skills. It is recommended that appropriate plans be made and necessary training be provided to students to improve their sleep quality.

Keywords

References
1. Eaton DK, McKnight-Eily LR, Lowry R, Perry GS, Presley-Cantrell L, Croft JB. Prevalence of insufficient, borderline, and optimal hours of sleep among high school students - United States, 2007. J Adolesc Health 2010; 46(4):399–401.
2. Lund HG, Reider BD, Whiting AB, Prichard JR. Sleep patterns and predictors of disturbed sleep in a large population of college students. J Adolesc Health 2010; 46(2):124–32.
3. Alsaggaf MA, Wali SO, Merdad RA, Merdad LA. Sleep quantity, quality, and insomnia symptoms of medical students during clinical years. Relationship with stress and academic performance. Saudi Med J 2016; 37(2):173–82.
4. Colten HR, Altevogt BM, editors. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. Washington (DC); 2006.
5. Azad MC, Fraser K, Rumana N, Abdullah AF, Shahana N, Hanly PJ et al. Sleep disturbances among medical students: a global perspective. J Clin Sleep Med 2015; 11(1):69–74.
6. Yilmaz D, Tanrikulu F, Dikmen Y. Research on Sleep Quality and the Factors Affecting the Sleep Quality of the Nursing Students. Curr Health Sci J 2017; 43(1):20–4.
7. Nyer M, Farabaugh A, Fehling K, Soskin D, Holt D, Papakostas GI et al. Relationship between sleep disturbance and depression, anxiety, and functioning in college students. Depress Anxiety 2013; 30(9):873–80.
8. Alkadhi K, Zagaar M, Alhaider I, Salim S, Aleisa A. Neurobiological consequences of sleep deprivation. Curr Neuropharmacol 2013; 11(3):231–49.
9. Assaad S, Costanian C, Haddad G, Tannous F. Sleep patterns and disorders among university students in Lebanon. J Res Health Sci 2014; 14(3):198–204.
10. Orzech KM, Acebo C, Seifer R, Barker D, Carskadon MA. Sleep patterns are associated with common illness in adolescents. J Sleep Res 2014; 23(2):133–42.
11. Silva M, Chaves C, Duarte J, Amaral O, Ferreira M. Sleep Quality Determinants among Nursing Students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 2016; 217:999–1007.
12. Nowicki Z, Grabowski K, Cubała WJ, Nowicka-Sauer K, Zdrojewski T, Rutkowski M et al. Prevalence of self-reported insomnia in general population of Poland. Psychiatr Pol 2016; 50(1):165–73.
13. Suzuki E, Yorifuji T, Ueshima K, Takao S, Sugiyama M, Ohta T et al. Sleep duration, sleep quality and cardiovascular disease mortality among the elderly: a population-based cohort study. Prev Med 2009; 49(2-3):135–41.
14. Gaultney JF. The prevalence of sleep disorders in college students: impact on academic performance. J Am Coll Health 2010; 59(2):91–7.
15. Tzachrista M, Gkintoni E, Halkiopoulos C. Neurocognitive Profile of Creativity in Improving Academic Performance—A Scoping Review. Education Sciences 2023; 13(11):1127.
16. Sweileh WM, Ali IA, Sawalha AF, Abu-Taha AS, Zyoud SH, Al-Jabi SW. Sleep habits and sleep problems among Palestinian students. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2011; 5(1):25.
17. Schlarb AA, Friedrich A, Claßen M. Sleep problems in university students - an intervention. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2017; 13:1989–2001.
18. Müller C, El-Ansari K, El Ansari W. Health-Promoting Behavior and Lifestyle Characteristics of Students as a Function of Sex and Academic Level. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19(12).
19. Tsai L-L, Li S-P. Sleep patterns in college students: gender and grade differences. J Psychosom Res 2004; 56(2):231–7.
20. Webb E, Ashton CH, Kelly P, Kamali F. Alcohol and drug use in UK university students. Lancet 1996; 348(9032):922–5.
21. Schmoldt A, Benthe HF, Haberland G. Digitoxin metabolism by rat liver microsomes. Biochem Pharmacol 1975; 24(17):1639–41.
22. Veldi M, Aluoja A, Vasar V. Sleep quality and more common sleep-related problems in medical students. Sleep Med 2005; 6(3):269–75.
23. Hershner SD, Chervin RD. Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students. Nat Sci Sleep 2014; 6:73–84.
24. Wang Y, Dai X, Zhu J, Xu Z, Lou J, Chen K. What complex factors influence sleep quality in college students? PLS-SEM vs. fsQCA. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1185896.
25. Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res 1989; 28(2):193–213.
26. Farrahi Moghaddam J, Nakhaee N, Sheibani V, Garrusi B, Amirkafi A. Reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-P). Sleep Breath 2012; 16(1):79–82.
27. Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Routledge; 2013.
28. Dinis J, Bragança M. Quality of Sleep and Depression in College Students: A Systematic Review. Sleep Sci 2018; 11(4):290–301.
29. Alotaibi AD, Alosaimi FM, Alajlan AA, Bin Abdulrahman KA. The relationship between sleep quality, stress, and academic performance among medical students. J Family Community Med 2020; 27(1):23–8.
30. Wang H, Fan X. Academic Stress and Sleep Quality among Chinese Adolescents: Chain Mediating Effects of Anxiety and School Burnout. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20(3).
31. Li Y, Gu S, Wang Z, Li H, Xu X, Zhu H et al. Relationship Between Stressful Life Events and Sleep Quality: Rumination as a Mediator and Resilience as a Moderator. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:348.
32. Safhi MA, Alafif RA, Alamoudi NM, Alamoudi MM, Alghamdi WA, Albishri SF et al. The association of stress with sleep quality among medical students at King Abdulaziz University. J Family Med Prim Care 2020; 9(3):1662–7.
33. Hirotsu C, Tufik S, Andersen ML. Interactions between sleep, stress, and metabolism: From physiological to pathological conditions. Sleep Sci 2015; 8(3):143–52.
34. Kalmbach DA, Anderson JR, Drake CL. The impact of stress on sleep: Pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders. J Sleep Res 2018; 27(6):e12710.
35. Fobian AD, Avis K, Schwebel DC. Impact of Media Use on Adolescent Sleep Efficiency. J Dev Behav Pediatr 2016; 37(1):9–14.
36. Chattu VK, Manzar MD, Kumary S, Burman D, Spence DW, Pandi-Perumal SR. The Global Problem of Insufficient Sleep and Its Serious Public Health Implications. Healthcare (Basel) 2018; 7(1).
37. Armand MA, Biassoni F, Corrias A. Sleep, Well-Being and Academic Performance: A Study in a Singapore Residential College. Front Psychol 2021; 12:672238.
38. Kayaba M, Matsushita T, Enomoto M, Kanai C, Katayama N, Inoue Y et al. Impact of sleep problems on daytime function in school life: a cross-sectional study involving Japanese university students. BMC Public Health 2020; 20(1):371.
39. Jalali R, Khazaei H, Paveh BK, Hayrani Z, Menati L. The Effect of Sleep Quality on Students' Academic Achievement. Adv Med Educ Pract 2020; 11:497–502.
Pathobiology Reserach
Volume 25, Issue 3
April 2022
Pages 15-25