Self-reported Sleep Quality and Associated Factors among Undergraduate Students in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution

Background: The quality and quantity of sleep is strongly related to physiological and physical health and other measures of wellbeing. Undergraduates are particularly susceptible to increasing academic and social demands that can cause sleep quality.

Aim: This study aims to determine the prevalence and distribution of self-reported sleep quality among undergraduates and the association between certain academic and non-academic related factors and quality of sleep.

Material and Method: A cross-sectional study among three hundred and twenty-seven undergraduates of the College of Health Sciences, faculty of law and faculty of art of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife who registered for the 2018/2019 academic session. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic and academic information (including the number of courses per semester, Cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and carried over course(s)). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality.

Results: The mean age of participants was 22 years. The prevalence of self- reported sleep quality among the participants was 35.8%. Female students (66.3%) had better sleep quality when compared with their male counterparts (61.7%). Bivariate analysis shows a statistically significant association between the course of study and the quality of sleep (p=0.003). Total average sleep hour per day (p=0.002) and known environmental factors affecting bedtime or sleep pattern (p=0.01) also showed statistically significant association with sleep quality.

Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of self-reported impaired sleep quality among the undergraduate population in which this study was conducted. The course being studied, total average sleep hours in a day and environmental factors were associated with the quality of sleep.