Quality of sleep among university students: effects of nighttime computer and television use

Abstract

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was based on subjective questionnaires that assessed nighttime habits of television viewing and Internet use during weekdays and perceived sleep quality among university students. Sleep perception was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The study group comprised 710 university students aged 17-25 years. Analysis of sleep perception in relation to internet use revealed that 58.06% of subjects who accessed the internet between 19:00 and 21:00 slept poorly; 71.43% between 19:00 and 22:00; 73.33% between 19:00 and 24:00; and 52.38% between 19:00 and 03:00 (p = 0.0251). Concerning the relationship between television exposure and perceived sleep, the groups did not differ from each other (p = 0.9303). This study showed that internet use between 19:00 and 24:00 increases the risk of poor sleep among young adults, in comparison with television viewing times.