Sleep hygiene practices and sleep quality among medical students in Egypt: a cross-sectional study

Sleep is an important component of human biological functioning and is necessary for optimal health and the maintenance of cognitive and psychological functions. Sleep hygiene is a collective term for the behaviors and environmental factors associated with good sleep. To assess the prevalence of poor sleep hygiene practices and poor sleep quality among medical students and to test the hypothesis that poor sleep hygiene is correlated with poor sleep quality. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 504 medical students at Tanta University, Egypt, using a random two-stage cluster sampling technique. Two validated questionnaires were used, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI), in addition to a sociodemographic section. The prevalence of poor sleep quality among the study participants was 71.2%. A total of 93.6% of the participants reported having poor sleep hygiene. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between sleep hygiene practices and sleep quality (r = 0.366, p < 0.001). The prevalence of poor sleep quality was the highest among students in the first grade (83.6%) and decreased to 66.0% among students in the fifth grade (p = 0.012). Using the bed for activities other than sleeping or sex; thinking, planning, or worrying when in bed; and doing important work before bedtime were the three most prevalent negative sleep hygiene practices, affecting 59.3%, 58.9%, and 54% of the participants, respectively. Poor sleep hygiene practices and poor sleep quality are highly prevalent among Egyptian medical students. Medical students in their early academic years had a greater prevalence of poor sleep quality. Future educational programs on sleep hygiene are needed to raise awareness and possibly improve overall sleep quality in this population.