Sleep quality and academic performance of clinical students at the University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

Context: Sleep is central to numerous human physiological functions, in particular learning capacity, memory consolidation, neurocognitive functions and mental health. However, the demands and expectations of a high-pressured occupation and course of learning such as medicine and medical studies may place increased strain on time, thereby resulting in varied coping mechanism including cutting back on sleep. This can affect the learning and academic performance of students. This study aims to assess the effect of sleep quality on perceived academic performance of clinical students in a tertiary institution in Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 392 clinical students of the University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria selected through simple random sampling technique.
Data collection was by the use of a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the standardized Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Chi square was used to test for associations between sleep quality and academic performance. Level of significance was set at P <0.05

Results: Respondents had a mean sleep duration of 5.1±1.2 hours, with a range of 2-8 hours, with 67.5% reporting poor sleep quality as measured by PSQI. There was a significant association between poor sleep quality and poor academic performance (P <0.006).

Conclusion: Most respondents in this study had poor sleep quality which was significantly associated with poor academic performance. Findings from this study holds policy implication for decision makers, and school managers to seek ways to encourage better sleep quality amongst clinical students.