Excessive Daytime sleepiness and sleep quality in medical students and their association with smartphone and internet addiction: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and poor sleep quality have shown to be associated with myriad of physical and psychological problems. Increasingly, excessive use of smartphones and Internet, leading to EDS and poor sleep quality, especially among students has become an area of concern. This study was undertaken to check for EDS and sleep quality in the medical undergraduates and its association with smartphone and Internet addiction, psychological distress, depression, and anxiety. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study done on MBBS students and interns. Semi-structured pro forma was used to collect sociodemographic data and students were asked to complete self-administered rating scales, namely, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Smartphone Addiction Scale-short version (SAS-SV), and Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Results: About 27.4% of students reported EDS and 44.4% fulfilled the criteria of poor sleeper on PSQI. About 56.5% of students reported psychological distress on K10. Almost half (45.3%) of the students reported addictive behavior toward their smartphones and one out of four students at risk of becoming Internet addicted. EDS was significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with PSQI, especially subjective sleep quality and daytime dysfunction component. EDS was also significantly associated (P < 0.05) with psychological distress. EDS was also significantly (P < 0.05) associated with SAS-SV and Young's IAT scores. Poor sleep quality was also significantly (P < 0.05) associated with psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion: The impact of smartphone and Internet overuse on sleep quality as well as their association with EDS is significant. We need to be aware of these factors in order to improve the sleep quality of our students.