Prevalence of sleep disorders among primary healthcare physicians in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia 2024

Background: Sleep disorders are highly prevalent among healthcare professionals and are linked to occupational stressors, irregular work hours, and poor lifestyle habits. Understanding sleep quality and its risk factors in primary healthcare physicians is critical for improving physician well-being and patient care quality. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of poor sleep hygiene and excessive daytime sleepiness among primary healthcare physicians in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia, and to identify associated demographic, occupational, and behavioral risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 among 146 primary healthcare physicians in Tabuk using a structured online questionnaire. Data were collected on sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) for daytime sleepiness, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep hygiene. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and Fisher’s exact tests were performed using SPSS version 28. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 59.6% of physicians were classified as poor sleepers (PSQI score >7), and 93.8% reported some level of excessive daytime sleepiness. Moderate to severe sleepiness was significantly more common among poor sleepers (p = 0.001). Significant risk factors for poor sleep hygiene included age 26–45 years (p = 0.001), working more than 40 hours/week (p = 0.001), smoking (p = 0.028), night shifts (p = 0.001), staying awake more than 19 hours (p = 0.004), sleeping less than 6 hours in 24 hours (p = 0.031), and lack of sufficient rest breaks and consecutive days off (p < 0.05). Marital status and total rest time per day were not significantly associated with sleep hygiene. Conclusion: Poor sleep hygiene and daytime sleepiness are prevalent among primary healthcare physicians in Tabuk. These outcomes are strongly influenced by modifiable work-related factors. Institutional interventions, such as optimizing shift schedules, ensuring adequate rest, and promoting sleep health are urgently needed to safeguard physician well-being and healthcare quality. Keywords Sleep hygiene, Daytime sleepiness, Primary healthcare physicians, Saudi Arabia