Correlation between average sleep duration among medical students and their performance in physiology final exam

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Sleep is a restful state of mind that plays a crucial and significant role in consolidation of memory. Several studies have reported that better and proper sleep is associated with superior cognitive functions including better learning and memory which is critical for successful academic performance. The present study was set to determine whether a correlation exists between the average sleep duration in medical students and their performance in physiology final examination score. This study was conducted in a Caribbean Medical School after approval from the Institutional Review Board. 40 medical students (23 male, 17 female) from first year of MD program were selected based on the inclusion criteria after informed written consent. The participants reported their average sleep duration in hours based on the records in their smart phones and wearable sleep/activity tracker devices. The data of their age, gender, body mass index, average sleep duration, and physiology final examination scores were tabulated in Microsoft Excel and descriptive analysis was done. The correlation of their average sleep duration in hours to physiology final examination scores in percent was determined by a Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis. The correlation coefficient (adjusted r2) of our study was 0.028 and significance P was 0.154. The average sleep duration of medical students was not significantly correlated with the physiology final examination score % (r (38) = 0.229, p = 0.154). The regression model predicted only 5.3% (R2 = 0.053) of the physiology final examination score of medical students. Medical students with an average sleep duration of more than 6 hours performed better in their physiology final exam. Our study concludes that there is no significant correlation between the average sleep duration in medical students and their performance in physiology final exam. However, medical students with an average sleep duration of 6 hrs. or more scored better in their physiology final exam. Therefore, our study aligns with the findings of the other studies, and we conclude that the longer duration of sleep for more than 6 hours is associated with better academic performance. So, correlations of the sleep duration and quality in medical students with their performance in other subjects and examinations need to be assessed in further studies.