Sleep Hygiene in Medical Students in Tehran; Do They Learn to Attend to Their Own Health?

Background: Poor sleep quality in medical students may negatively affect their professional training and deteriorate neurocognitive and academic performance. Objectives: In this study, we aim to determine the prevalence and determinants of poor sleep quality and its scales in a group of medical students in Tehran, Iran in 2017. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was completed by 154 medical students in Tehran, Iran. Demographic characteristics were also gathered. Global PSQI and scales scores were calculated. Results: Median Global PSQI score was 5. Poor sleep quality was observed in 65 (42%) students. Participants scored worst in sleep duration and daytime dysfunction scales, and 84.4% of the total participants reported some degree of daytime dysfunction. More than 90% of the participants reported no use of sleep medication. Neither of the variables sex, age, place of residence, being a freshman or having a history of sleep problems showed any significant association with sleep quality. When evaluating the scales, sleep duration problem was mostly observed in freshmen (P = 0.02), while medication use and daytime dysfunction were more common in second-year students (P = 0.04 and P = 0.01, respectively). Conclusions: The prevalence of poor sleep quality was high in this group of medical students in Tehran. The problem was largely observed in sleep duration and daytime dysfunction subscales of sleep quality.