Influence of sleep quality on academic performance of medical students

Resumo

Objective: To know the prevalence of “poor” sleepers among medical students, to identify the main factors affecting sleep quality in this population, and the probable relationship between sleep and academic performance throughout the course. Methods: This is a cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative study carried out at a higher education private institution in the city of Araguari (MG) Brazil. The sample consisted of 110 medical students. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were applied. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA one-way test with the post-hoc Tukey test, two-way ANOVA test and Student’s t test. Results: Of the 105 students analyzed, 19.05% (n=20) were classified as “good” sleepers, and 80.95% (n=85) as poor sleepers. No statistically significant difference was observed between the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores and the students’ grade averages or the students’ academic terms. Conclusion: The majority of the students was classified as poor sleepers. The consumption of energetic substances and the female sex were the two significant factors that could affect sleep quality. There was no relationship between sleep quality and academic performance.