The Connection between Sleeping Disorders Among Students and Academic Success

Abstract

Aim of the study: Objective of this research was to examine whether sleep disturbances affect the academic success of students of the Faculty of Medicine in Osijek.

Methods: The respondents conducted a self-assessment using a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Results: It is observed that there is no significant correlation between age, overall academic success and months of work (if the respondents were employed) with the sleep quality index. Respondents from lower years of studies have a higher sleep quality index, therefore worse sleep quality compared to higher years respondents, whereas daily average studying time has proportional values to the PSQI sleep quality index. In other words, the more hours they spend studying, the higher the sleep quality index. Therefore, the quality of sleep is lower. There are no significant differences in the PSQI sleep quality index in relation to the general characteristics, except in the case of treatment by a psychiatrist. Subjects who were treated by a psychiatrist had significantly worse sleep quality compared to other subjects.

Conclusion: There is no significant correlation between sleep disorders and academic success among students. Subjects from lower years of study had higher values ​​of the PSQI and their sleep quality was inversely proportional to the time they spent studying. Subjects who had a psychiatric diagnosis had worse quality of sleep.

Keywords: academic success; correlation; sleep disorders