Smartphone Addiction and Sleep Disturbances Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Smartphone use has become prevalent among young adults to the extent that it is affecting their sleep and overall well-being. First-year MBBS students, who are new to academic and environmental changes, may be particularly vulnerable to sleep disturbances. This study aims to explore the prevalence of smartphone addiction and sleep quality in this population. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among first-year MBBS students of a private medical college in central India. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of smartphone addiction and poor sleep quality, evaluate the correlation between them, and examine whether gender-wise differences were prevalent. Eighty-nine students voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Qualitative variables were represented as frequencies and percentages; quantitative variables were reported as mean along with standard deviation. Chi-square was applied for statistical significance, and a p-value <0.05 was considered. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relation between two variables. Results Among the 89 participants, 55.1% were found to have addiction to smartphones, and 53.9% had poor sleep quality. SAS-SV showed good reliability (α = 0.747), while PSQI showed lower internal consistency (α = 0.401). Significant associations were between components of PSQI, like subjective sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and total SAS-SV score. No significant correlation was found between total smartphone addiction scores and global sleep quality scores (r = 0.126, p = 0.254). Conclusion Smartphone addiction and poor sleep are very prevalent among first-year MBBS students. No significant association was found between poor sleep and mobile addiction, but PSQI components, subjective sleep quality, and sleep efficiency showed a significant association with mobile addiction. Awareness programs focusing on responsible smartphone use and healthy sleep habits are the need of the hour, especially in medical students, who are particularly vulnerable to academic stress.