Daytime Sleepiness among Medical and Non-Medical Students and its Impact on their Academic Performance

Abstract

University studentsare prone to have an insufficient sleep and tend to feel sleepiness during daytime, in which may impact cognitive function; impair the psychological health and academic performance. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of daytime sleepiness between medical and non-medical students in Management & Science University (MSU)-Shah Alam campus and to investigate the relationship between daytime sleepiness among university students towards their academic performance. A cross-sectional study was carried using Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was to identify and evaluate the effect of daytime sleepiness on academic performance. A total of 152 undergraduate students ranging from the age of 19 to 27 years were participated and completed the questionnaires with a response rate of 76%. Statistical analysis was done using Pearson's Chi-Square Test. There were 56.6% of participants showed an abnormal score of ESS (>9) in both groups. Medical students reported havinga high prevalence of daytime sleepiness (52.3%) whereas non-medical students showed slightly less prevalence of daytime sleepiness (47.7%). The results obtained might be due to the medical students have exposure to the hectic and excessive academic load causing the need to study until late at night. Poor academic results were revealed among 84 (55.3%) university students. A statistically significant association was observed between daytime sleepiness and lower academic performance (p<0.001). Medical students have a higher prevalence of daytime sleepiness compared to non-medical students.