Association between sleep hygiene awareness and practice with sleep quality among Kuwait University students

Abstract

University students are especially vulnerable to poor sleep quality. The aim of this study was to assess students' sleep hygiene awareness and sleep hygiene practices, and evaluate their sleep quality. The association of sleep quality with sleep hygiene awareness and practice was also explored. The median sleep quality score was 7; scores more than 5 indicate poor sleep quality. Hence, a large proportion of Kuwait University students experience a suboptimal level of overall sleep quality according to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index criteria. Sleep hygiene knowledge among university students was relatively inadequate. Most respondents (60.9%) failed to recognize that taking a nap during daytime might be disruptive to sleep. Sleep quality was strongly correlated with sleep hygiene practice (Spearman rank correlation, rs=0.267, P<.001) but not with sleep hygiene knowledge. Medical students showed poorer sleep hygiene awareness and poor sleep quality compared with students from other universities. Logistic regression analysis showed that female sex (adjusted odds ratio [OR]=1.8, P<.001), college (OR=2.2, P<.001), grade point average (OR=2.8, P=.023), and sleep hygiene practice score were independently associated with sleep quality after adjusting for confounders. In conclusion, a large proportion of Kuwait University students experience poor sleep quality. Therefore, the development of sleep hygiene education programs as an intervention and prevention strategy is recommended. This will improve students' knowledge on the importance of adopting healthy sleep hygiene practices for better sleep quality and enhanced academic performance.