Sleep quality and sleep habits in high school students

Abstract

Introduction. Good sleep quality is an essential premise for an efficient daily activity. High school students, due to their adolescence age and intensive mental activity, need 8-10 hours of sleep. They also experience some physiological age problems such as late melatonin secretion leading to the difficulty to fall asleep and to wake up in the morning. The overusage of different devices (cell phones, computers, etc.) is known to disturb the process of falling asleep. Aim of the study. To evaluate the sleep quality and sleep habits of urban high school students. Materials and methods. The study consisted of an anonymous on-line questioning of high school students (grades 10-12), aged 15-19 years, from 7 lyceums of Chisinau and Balti. The questionnaire included: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Dijon Physical Activity Score (DPAS) and a questionnaire about anthropometric and demographic data.Results. One hundred eighteen responders completed the study with a mean age of 17±1.1 years, male to female ratio 1:2.6 and mean body mass index 19.6±2.1. The mean PSQI score was 7.2±0.5, and the prevalence of “poor” sleepers (PSQI score >5) was 69.5% (82/118). Sleep quality during the past month was assessed by the responders as “fairly good” in 55.9% (66/118), “fairly bad” in 38.1% (45/118), and “very bad” in 5.9% (7/118). The mean time of actual sleep was 6.5±0.9 hours, 41.5% (49/118) slept less than 7 hours per day, and 98.3% (116/118) went to bed after 10 PM. 96.6% of participants (114/118) declared the usage of the cell phone before bedtime, 66.9% (79/118) - the consumption of coffee and energizers after 5 PM and 45.8% (54/118) declared eating carbohydrates after 7 PM. The prevalence of smokers was 10.2% (12/118). The mean ESS was 6.9±0.6, but in 84.7% (100/118) of participants was registered higher normal daytime sleepiness (6-10 points). The responders characterized their physical activity as “zero” in 14.4% (17/118), “low” in 24.6% (29/118), and ”medium” – in 61% (72/118). Conclusions. In about half of the high school students, the sleep quality was bad and very bad. Every third high school student slept less than 7 hours per day, and every second one had poor sleep habits (low physical activity, carbohydrates overconsumption, cell phone usage). This situation can negatively influence cognitive performances and life quality in high school students. For them, their parents and teachers should organize an awareness program about the importance of sleep hygiene and sleep quality for good quality of life and academic performances.