Sleep Deprivation, Memory Complaints, and Aggression among Medical Students

Background: Medical education is a stressful academic journey that harms its seekers' cognitive and behavioral functioning. Where one whole night of sleep satiation is crucial for health, sleep deprivation can impair memory of the learned material and emotional regulation. Objective: This study examined the link of sleep deprivation with memory complaints and aggression among medical students. Method: It was a cross-sectional survey of medical students aged between 19 and 22 (M = 20.5, SD = 0.87) from the Abbottabad district in Pakistan. The study involved convenience sampling to gather information on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Memory Complaint Scale, and Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Results: The descriptive analysis shows that medical students experienced moderate-to-severe sleep problems and moderate levels of memory complaints and aggression. Out of 300 medical students, 48.7% reported having high sleep deprivation, and 42.7% reported having moderate sleep deprivation. While moderate (47.7%) and severe (32.7%) memory complaints were more common, only 3.7% of medical students said they had no memory problems. Sleep deprivation had significant positive correlation with memory issues, and memory issues correlated with aggression. The study's findings demonstrated that lack of sleep was strongly associated with memory complaints and had a negligible effect on the aggressiveness of medical students. Conclusion: The majority of medical students in Pakistan experience a lack of sleep. They need to value the importance of sufficient sleep for effective cognitive and behavioral functioning. Adequate screening, prevention, and intervention should be administered to at-risk medical students.