Quality of Sleep and Daytime Sleepiness among University Students

Quality of Sleep and Daytime Sleepiness among University Students

Background: During university life, students are exposed to a variety of stressful factors that can culminate with daytime sleepiness. The objective of the present study was to assess the quality of sleep and the presence of daytime sleepiness among university students. Method: The sample comprised 502 university students, randomly taken from the 2,619 students at Universidade Metropolitana de Santos. Data collection was performed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESE), with self-applied questionnaires. Results: The results showed that the students took, on average, over 20 minutes to fall asleep. There was, in general, bad quality of sleep in this population. Bad quality of sleep was significantly associated to higher degrees of daytime sleepiness. When the sixth-year medical students were assessed as a subgroup and compared with the first-year medical students, significantly worse quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness were observed among students in the last year of medical school. Conclusion: The poor sleep quality in this population suggests that universities should have specific guidance on sleep hygiene and should provide support for students presenting disturbances in this field.