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Sleep pattern and insomnia among medical students

Effect of gender and dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep

Schlafmuster und Schlafstörungen bei Medizinstudenten

Auswirkungen des Geschlechts sowie dysfunktionaler Ansichten und Haltungen zum Schlaf

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Abstract

Background

Earlier literature on the sleep patterns of students has suggested that these individuals often have erratic sleep patterns and around 8–9 % suffer from insomnia. Some of the literature on nonmedical university students reported that sleep patterns are subject to gender bias. However, only few reports examining sleep patterns among medical students are available. Moreover, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep (DBAS) among medical students have never been examined.

Question

What are the sleep patterns of medical students? Are these affected by gender? What is the prevalence of clinical insomnia? How prevalent are DBAS among medical students and does gender effect these? Do DBAS influence the sleep patterns?

Materials and methods

For this study, first-, second- and third-year medical students were approached and requested to participate. Among 300 students, 200 agreed to participate and were included. A self-designed questionnaire for collecting demographic data and information on sleep patterns—both on weekdays and at weekends—was distributed. Participating students were also encouraged to provide information regarding substance use, insomnia and family history of sleep disturbances. Dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep (DBAS) were examined using the DBAS-16 questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Chi-square was used to compare proportions and the independent sample t-test was used to compare means between two groups.

Results

Average age of the subjects was 19.8 ± 1.3 years. On weekdays, 70 % of subjects went to bed between 11 pm to 1.30 am. Usual waketime on weekdays was between 6 am and 7 am (69 %). At weekends, bedtime and waketime were delayed. In addition, an increase in total sleep time by 1.2 hours was observed at weekends (P < 0.001). Clinical insomnia could be diagnosed in 5 % of subjects. Gender did not affect sleep patterns or DBAS score. Of the included students, 86.6 % had dysfunctional beliefs. A discrepancy was observed between the DBAS-16 scores and sleep practices.

Conclusion

We found that medical students had delayed-type sleep patterns and 5 % suffered from clinically significant insomnia. Students’ sleep patterns remained unaffected by gender and DBAS, despite the fact that DBAS are common among these individuals.

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund

In der älteren Literatur zu den Schlafmustern von Studenten finden sich Hinweise darauf, dass diese Personen häufig unregelmäßige Schlafmuster aufweisen und etwa 8–9 % an Schlafstörungen leiden. In einigen Arbeiten zu Studenten, die nicht Medizin studierten, wurde berichtet, dass Schlafmuster geschlechtsspezifisch seien. Es sind jedoch nur wenige Arbeiten zu Schlafmustern bei Medizinstudenten verfügbar. Darüber hinaus sind dysfunktionale Ansichten und Haltungen zum Schlaf („dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep“, DBAS) bei Medizinstudenten bisher nicht untersucht worden.

Fragestellung

Welche Schlafmuster gibt es bei Medizinstudenten? Werden sie vom Geschlecht beeinflusst? Wie hoch ist die Prävalenz klinischer Schlafstörungen? Welche Prävalenz für DBAS besteht bei Medizinstudenten, und hat das Geschlecht darauf Einfluss? Beeinflussen DBAS die Schlafmuster?

Material und Methoden

Für diese Studie wurden Medizinstudenten im ersten, zweiten und dritten Studienjahr angesprochen und um Teilnahme an der Studie gebeten. Von 300 Studenten stimmten 200 der Teilnahme zu und wurden in die Studie aufgenommen. Ihnen wurde ein selbstentwickelter Fragebogen zu demographischen Daten und zu Angaben über Schlafmuster – sowohl an Wochentagen als auch an Wochenenden – ausgehändigt. Die teilnehmenden Studenten wurden auch darin bestärkt, Angaben zu Substanzgebrauch, Schlafstörungen und Schlaflosigkeit in der Familienanamnese zu machen. DBAS wurden anhand des DBAS-16-Fragebogens ermittelt. Es wurden Parameter der deskriptiven Statistik berechnet. Der Chi-Quadrat-Test wurde zum Vergleich der Anteile eingesetzt, und der t-Test für unabhängige Stichproben wurde verwendet, um die Mittelwerte zwischen 2 Gruppen zu vergleichen.

Ergebnisse

Das Durchschnittsalter der Teilnehmer betrug 19,8 ± 1,3 Jahre. An Wochentagen gingen 70 % der Teilnehmer zwischen 23 und 1.30 Uhr zu Bett. Die Aufwachzeit lag an Wochentagen gewöhnlich zwischen 6 und 7 Uhr (69 %). An Wochenenden waren Zubettgehzeit und Aufwachzeit verzögert. Darüber hinaus wurde an Wochenenden ein Anstieg der Gesamtschlafdauer um 1,2 h festgestellt (P < 0,001). Eine klinische Schlafstörung wurde bei 5 % der Teilnehmer diagnostiziert. Das Geschlecht hatte keinen Einfluss auf Schlafmuster oder den DBAS-Score. Dysfunktionelle Ansichten bestanden bei 86,6 % der in die Studie aufgenommenen Studenten. Zwischen den DBAS-1-Scores und den Schlafgewohnheiten war eine Diskrepanz zu beobachten.

Schlussfolgerung

Die Autoren stellten fest, dass Medizinstudenten Schlafmuster vom verzögerten Typ aufwiesen und dass 5 % von ihnen unter einer klinisch signifikanten Schlafstörung litten. Die Schlafmuster der Studenten wurden weder durch das Geschlecht noch durch DBAS beeinflusst, trotz der Tatsache, dass DBAS bei diesem Personenkreis häufig sind.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by a research grant from Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Sleep Clinic, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Ram Nagar, Doiwala, 248140, Dehradun, India

    K. Joshi, D. Mishra, H. Dubey & R. Gupta

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  1. K. Joshi
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  2. D. Mishra
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  3. H. Dubey
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  4. R. Gupta
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Correspondence to R. Gupta.

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K. Joshi, D. Mishra, H. Dubey and R. Gupta state that there are no conflicts of interest.

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (in its most recently amended version). Informed consent was obtained from all patients included in the study.

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Joshi, K., Mishra, D., Dubey, H. et al. Sleep pattern and insomnia among medical students. Somnologie 19, 205–211 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-015-0012-x

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