Daytime napping, perceived stress, and sleep quality in university students: Insights from a cluster analysis

Daytime napping is a common compensatory behavior among university students experiencing irregular nocturnal sleep and heightened stress. We examined the associations between napping behavior, perceived stress, sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness in 757 undergraduate students (≥18 y) who completed an online questionnaire including sociodemographic data, the PSS-14, PSQI, and ESS. Chi-square, MANOVA, regression analyses and K-means clustering were applied (α = 5%). Women represented 68% of the sample and reported higher stress and daytime sleepiness and were more likely to nap (χ² = 11.991; p = 0.007). Higher proportion of women reported stress management as reason to nap (χ² = 8.84; p = 0.002). The frequency of napping was predicted by sex (OR = 0.65; CI = 0.48-0.87), PSS-14 (OR = 0.98; CI = 0.96-0.99), and Epworth sleepiness scores (OR = 1.12; CI = 1.09-1.16), while napping duration was predicted by age, Epworth sleepiness, PSQI sleep efficiency, and PSQI sleep disturbance scores (R2 = 0.03; p = 0.001). Three clusters emerged: Sleep disturbances (long sleep latency, higher stress, poorer sleep quality); Shorter naps (brief naps, better sleep quality, lower stress); and More naps (younger students with frequent naps and higher sleepiness). Despite limitations related to self-reported measures, online sampling, and the overrepresentation of students from health-related programs, our findings highlight the multidimensional role of napping in the regulation of stress and sleep.