EVALUATION OF SLEEP QUALITY IN MEDICAL STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Background:Poor sleep patterns are common in medical students due to the long duration and high intensity of study. In this study, we aimed to assess the sleep quality among medical students who are getting online and face to face practical education during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Material and Method:The study which planned as a cross sectional research, was made among medical students between 25^th of February and 25^th of March in 2021.Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was sent to the participants via internet and they were asked to complete the questionnaire.Medical students were classified as poor sleepers having global PSQI>5.The data obtained from the questionnaire werestatistically analyzed.

Results:Of the 154 students approached, %72.1 were males, %27.9 were females and overall mean age was 21.75±2.28 years. Sleep onset latency and average sleep time among the participantswere33.11±31.12 minutes and 7.46±4.81 hours (p = 0.772and p = 0.034) respectively. Average PSQI global score was 7.18 ±3.07, %77.9 of the participants were poor sleepers and there was no significant difference between genders (p=0.879).

Conclusion:Compared to the similar studies of the literature which were done before the Covid-19 pandemic duration, nearly 2 times higher rates of poor sleep quality was observed among medical students. We think that the Covid-19 pandemic process negatively contributes to sleep quality.