Assessment of Sleep Quality among Nursing Students on Clinical Posting in a Tertiary Health Facility in North-Western Nigeria

Abstract

Context

The sleep quality of nursing students needs to be assessed in the context of their living conditions in order to know the best way to improve any abnormality noted.

Aim

To assess the quality of sleep of nursing students and determine its relationship with their conditions of living among other factors.

Methods and Material

A cross-sectional descriptive study involving nursing students on postings in a tertiary health facility. The socio-demographic data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaires.

Statistical Analysis Used

Data were analyzed using the Statistical Product for Service Solution (SPSS) for Windows version 22. Chi-square (χ²) or Fisher’s exact tests were used to determine the association between sleep quality and various parameters.

Results

The total participants were 255 with a mean age of 21.5 ± 3.4 years and a male-to-female ratio of 0.4:1. The mean sleep latency period and mean sleep duration were 21.5 ± 14.0 minutes and 6.4 ± 1.4 hours, respectively. The mean ESS was 9.8 ± 3.5, indicating an increased tendency for daytime sleepiness. The mean PSQI was 6.2 ± 3.0.

Seventy-three percent of the participants were poor sleepers (had scores of ≥5); 7.1% of them had a level of severity needing medical help. The quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness were significantly associated with the number of roommates and source of funding, respectively.

Conclusion

Most of the participants have poor sleep quality, which is significantly associated with the number of roommates and source of funding.