Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Sleep is important for functioning of the human body. Important bodily processes can be impaired without sleep. However, sleep deprivation is becoming common in modern society, especially in students. The present study was done to determine the prevalence of sleep disorders among college students and their effect on academic performance. Materials & Methods: The present study was conducted on 1,524 college students. It included first year students, juniors and seniors. The survey used, the SLEEP-50 has been validated for college students. It consists of 50 items that tap a variety of sleep characteristics. Scoring was done by students as 1- “not at all”, 2-“somewhat”, 3- “rather much”, or 4- “very much” true. The SLEEP-50 provides scores for Insomnia, Narcolepsy, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Circadian Rhythm Disorders (CRDs), Sleep walking, Nightmares. Scoring was done to determine which students were at risk for the various disorders.  Results: Out of 1524 students examined, 381 were found to have sleep disorder. Females comprised 565 and males comprised 43%. Obstructive sleep apnea was seen in 11% of examined students. Narcolepsy was seen in 18% of students. Other sleep disorders were CRDs (6%), sleep walking (1%), night mares (3%) and insomnia (4%). The difference among different sleep disorders were significant (P- 0.04). Maximum numbers of student complaint of use of alcohol at night (17%). Conclusions: Author concluded that college students are at risk for sleep disorders or poor sleep hygiene, and that sleep may impact academic success. Students should be taught to reduce stress level in their life which may improve their academic performance.
Key Words: Obstructive sleep apnea, Narcolepsy, sleep

Corresponding Author: Dr. Anil Jain, Associate Professor, Integral Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Lucknow, U.P, India

This article may be cited as: Jain A, Sandeep Verma S. Prevalence of sleep disorders among college students: A clinical study. J Adv Med Dent Scie Res 2016;4(6):103-106.