Association between daytime napping and perceived stress levels among university students in Türkiye, Brazil, and Italy: a multicultural study

Stress is a common issue among university students, often affecting their academic performance and overall well-being. Therefore, there is a growing need for low-cost, time-efficient stress management strategies that students can easily adopt. This study aimed to examine the daytime napping habits of university students in Türkiye, Brazil, and Italy and to explore their association with perceived stress levels. This descriptive, cross-cultural study was conducted using online surveys, including an Introductory Information Form and the Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14). A total of 1,237 university students (74.4% female) participated. Data were analyzed using linear regression analyses. Overall, 35.7% reported taking a daytime nap once or twice a week, and 59.5% reported using naps for stress management. Students in Italy had significantly lower perceived stress than those in Türkiye and Brazil. In the univariable regression analysis, students who took daytime naps for stress management had higher stress levels than those who did not, and those who never took daytime naps had higher stress levels than those who did so once or twice a week. In the multivariable analysis, students who took daytime naps every day had significantly higher stress levels than those who never took naps. Additionally, belief in the positive effects of daytime naps on stress management was associated with lower stress levels (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The findings suggest that the frequency of daytime naps, their utilization for stress management, and belief in their effectiveness are associated with perceived stress levels. To strengthen these results, future cross-cultural studies should employ randomized controlled trials incorporating objective sleep measures and demographically more homogeneous samples.