Prevalence of Insomnia, Nightmares and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study investigates the prevalence of insomnia, nightmares, and obstructive sleep apnea among medical students and their correlation with several variables.

We gathered data from six medical colleges across Syrian universities, focusing on second to sixth-year human medicine students. The questionnaire, based on reliable international tools like the Berlin Questionnaire and Insomnia Severity Index, was distributed electronically and in print. We used the chi-square test to analyze disease prevalence associations.

The sample comprised 1237 medical students with a mean age of 20.74 years (SD = 1.809), including 635 males (51.3%) and 602 females (48.7%). Insomnia was found in 46.9% of participants, while 15.8% reported nightmares, and 4.8% were at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Insomnia significantly affected academic performance, with 8.7% of students with GPAs between 60 and 70% experiencing severe insomnia, compared to just 1.6% of those with GPAs between 91 and 100% (p = 0.012). However, nightmares and obstructive sleep apnea did not significantly impact academic performance. A family history of insomnia and nightmares was linked to a higher likelihood of experiencing them (p < 0.05). The study found no strong association between obstructive sleep apnea and other variables, except regarding sleep duration; 40.7% of high-risk individuals slept less than 6 h versus 24.4% of low-risk individuals (p = 0.019).

Sleep disorders are common among medical students and significantly affect their quality of life and health. Prioritizing the diagnosis of these disorders is essential, and future research should explore genetic factors related to their prevalence.