Evaluation of Insomnia in Medical Students of Kurdistan University

Sleep disorders can threaten human health and disturb social activities, leading to psycho-social problems. Some specific groups seem to be more affected by insomnia, among these groups; medical students have received special attention. This was a cross-sectional study. Sample size included 244 people who entered into this study by use of randomized systematic sampling method. A researcher-made screening questionnaire which had been designed on the basis of DSM-IV was used for data registration. The subjects filled out the questionnaires after informed consent. Statistical analysis was performed by means of descriptive tables and X² test using SPSS software. 37.3% of students were male and 62.7% were female. Mean age of samples was 22.01±2.6 years. There was no significant difference between age and sex and presence of insomnia in the students. In addition 57.4% of the students had insomnia that 66.7% of them resided in dormitory and 36.8% in their own houses which showed a significant difference (p≤0.005). The most common type of insomnia was longer sleep latency detected in 76.4% of the subjects. The most frequent predisposing factor of insomnia was anxiety observed in 35% of the students. There was a significant relation between insomnia and educational field (p≤0.005). There was also a significant relation between insomnia and residence time in dormitory (p≤0.005) but no significant relation between insomnia and number of roommates was detected. considering high prevalence rate of insomnia in medical students in this study; detection of factors influencing mental and physical status of students, specially those residing in dormitory, is necessary in order to provide proper condition for medical students to achieve educational progress.