Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global physical and mental health. This study sought to 1) assess Slovenian university students’ sleep habits during the initial COVID-19 epidemic and lockdown and 2) evaluate sleep hygiene’s role as a potential predictor of sleep quality during this period. Methods: The prospective cross-sectional study was conducted during the first five weeks of the officially declared epidemic in Slovenia. A total of 541 participants (80% female; mean age 22.1, SD = 2.1) responsded to questions on sleep quality, changes in sleep patterns, sleep hygiene, and mental health. Results: A majority of university students (82.6%) reported either increased or unchanged sleep durations during the pandemic compared to the period before the pandemic. Conversely, 48.6% indicated less consistent sleep schedules, and 37.2% noted a decline in sleep quality. Regression analysis revealed that even after accounting for potentially sleep-affecting variables (demographics, physical and mental health status, stress, anxiety, and depression indicators), sleep hygiene remained a significant predictor of sleep quality. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the previously observed shifts in sleep patterns during the pandemic and highlight the pivotal role of sleep hygiene in maintaining sleep quality during such public health crises. Notably, this research also pioneers the investigation of sleep habits among Slovenian students, filling a notable gap in the literature, as no prior studies have addressed this demographic either before or during the pandemic.