Chronotype: implications for sleep quality in medical students.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Sleep Science
• Chronobiology

Background:

• Poor sleep quality is prevalent among medical students, often linked to distress.
• Chronotype, the natural inclination towards morning or evening activity, is a potential factor influencing sleep quality.
• Limited research has explored the specific impact of chronotype on medical students' sleep.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between chronotype and sleep quality in a large cohort of medical students.
• To identify chronotype as a predictor of sleep quality, controlling for various confounding factors.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for improving sleep quality in this population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey involving 5497 medical students.
• Assessment of sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
• Evaluation of chronotype via the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and lifestyle factors using the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP).
• Hierarchical logistic regression analysis to determine the influence of chronotype on sleep quality, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• Evening-type students reported significantly poorer sleep quality (PSQI score 5.43 ± 2.66) compared to morning-types (3.88 ± 2.20).
• Being a morning-type (OR=0.40) or intermediate-type (OR=0.53) student was associated with a lower risk of poor sleep quality compared to evening-types.
• Chronotype emerged as the strongest predictor of sleep quality, even after controlling for grade, gender, parental education, internet addiction, mood, midnight snacking, and lifestyle.

Conclusions:

• Chronotype significantly impacts sleep quality among medical students.
• Evening-type medical students are at higher risk for poor sleep quality.
• Interventions encouraging earlier sleep patterns may benefit evening-type students and enhance their overall sleep quality.