Sleep Quality: A Key Factor in the Physical and Mental Recovery of Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: sleep is considered a physiological process of vital importance for the comprehensive health of human beings. Sleep quality represents one of the most widespread yet least understood clinical aspects, making it essential to understand its incidence and the factors that may determine it. Objective: to evaluate the sleep quality of third-year medical students from two faculties of the University of Medical Sciences of Havana. Methods: an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in 312 students from two health sciences faculties. The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index was used. Results: 1,92 % indicated that their sleep quality is poor, and 17,31 % reported sleep efficiency below 85 %, a percentage considered the threshold for establishing an insomnia diagnosis. It was found that 60,33 % of the sample would be defined as poor sleepers compared to 39,66 % good sleepers. Conclusions: the study revealed that approximately 70 % of the subjects have poor sleep quality, which is exacerbated by the consumption of alcohol, coffee, and tobacco. This shows that, to the various negative effects of excessive consumption of these substances, we must add poor sleep quality.