Prevalence of sleep disorders in emergency and allied medicine students at Gilan University of Medical Sciences in 2021

Poor sleep quality influences daily functioning, making sleep quality an important clinical construct. Indeed, inadequate sleep quality can serve as a significant symptom of various medical and sleep disorders. Poor sleep can impair academic and social performance as it reduces students' concentration in the classroom. This study aimed to investigate the quality of sleep and its correlation with background variables among emergency and allied medicine students studying at Gilan University of Medical Sciences.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 555 male and female students from Gilan University of Medical Sciences were selected via a multistage random sampling method in 2021. The data was collected using a demographics form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 16 using descriptive (prevalence, mean, standard deviation) and inferential (Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test) statistical tests. The significance level was set at P <0.05.

The research results indicated that the majority of participants fell within the 21-year-old age group (30.45%) and identified as female (59.65%). In terms of marital status, 57.7% of the students were married. Half of the students experienced poor sleep quality. The mean score for sleep duration was reported to be higher than the scores for other subscales. Students' sleep efficiency was similarly low. In this regard, the Friedman test results revealed significant differences between the scores of the sleep quality subscales (P=0.001).

The study's results indicated that the sleep quality of emergency and allied medical students at Gilan University of Medical Sciences was below average. Additionally, the students reported a higher mean score in the sleep latency subscale than in other subscales. In order to enhance the students' sleep quality and address sleep latency issues, it is recommended to implement planning along with nursing interventions. Effective measures can be taken to improve the sleep quality of this group of students by providing suitable educational and welfare conditions.