Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Academic Performance in University Students
- Qaisar Liaquat, Jinnah Hospital Lahore
- Husnain Javaid, Karam Bhari Memorial Hospital Dhadhumber Rawalpindi
- Saif Pervaiz, Div HQ teaching hospital, Mirpur ajk
- Dr Muhammad Mashood Anwar, Divisional Headquarter Teaching Hospital Mirpur AJK
- Dr Adees Ahmed, Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad
- Ali Raza, UHS
ABSTRACT:
Background: Sleep quality was known as a crucial factor in determining cognitive performance, memory consolidation, emotional regulation and general health. University students often found themselves with irregular sleep patterns as a result of coursework, stress from exams, overuse of technology devices and social lives. Poor quality of sleep had been linked to lower levels of concentration, poorer decision-making, daytime fatigue, and lower academic productivity. Understanding the link between sleep and academic performance had been crucial to being able to develop specific interventions that would improve student outcomes.
Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between sleep and academic performance of students in a university.
Methods: The research being a cross-sectional analytical study has been conducted at Fatima Memorial Hospital between January 2024 – January 2026. A total of 200 university students between 18-25 years were included with the help of non-probability sampling i.e. convenience sampling method. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and academic performance was evaluated using the cumulative Grade points average (GPA) of students obtained with consent. Participants were divided into good sleepers (PSQI<=5) and poor sleepers (PSQI>5). Data was analyzed by using the software, and the version of this software is 26. Demographic variables and descriptive statistics were calculated. Independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation analysis were carried out to establish the relationship between sleep quality scores and GPA. A p-value of 0.05 was used as a statistical cut off.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 21.3 plus 1.9 years and the gender distribution was 54% females and 46% males. The percentage of poor sleep quality was recorded in 62% of the students, while 38% showed good sleep quality. The mean GPA from the good sleepers (3.41 +-0.32) was significantly higher than the mean GPA of the poor sleepers (2.98 +-0.41) p< 0.001. A significant negative correlation (r = -0.48, p < 0.001) was observed between PSQI score and GPA, which means that an increase in sleep disturbance was negatively related to academic performance. Students who reported shorter sleep times and frequent night-time awakenings had relatively lower academic scores.
Conclusion: The study concluded that poor sleep quality was found to have been significantly associated with poor academic performance among the university students. Promoting healthy sleep habits and sleep-awareness programs might have been responsible for better academic results as well as general student well-being.
Keywords: Sleep Quality, academic performance, university students, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, GPA, Cognitive Function, Student Health.