Sleep and Wake Habits with Academic Performances of Allied Health Sciences Students of Selected Universities in Sri Lanka - A Comparison Study

Abstract

Background: Allied Health Sciences students are a unique group of students found in university system and health care system. Although ample sleep is very important for physical and mental fitness of healthy beings, sleeping may be deprived due to academic and clinical commitments. It may lead to memory impairment and, poor academic and psychomotor performances. Hence, it is a concealed problem among students that has not been recognized as a problem. Objectives: To compare sleep and wake habits with academic performances of Allied Health Sciences students of selected universities in Sri Lanka. Methodology: This descriptive cross sectional and comparative study was conducted with 292 Allied Health Sciences students in University of Ruhuna and University of Peradeniya. All students except first year students and new comers were invited for the study. Data was collected using a pre tested self-administered questionnaire and academic performance was assessed by GPAs of students at the end of the first year. Data was analysed using SPSS 21 software. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna. Results and conclusions: In our study, majority of students were female (81.2%). Mean Grade Point Average for the whole sample was 2.59 ± 0.51. According to Chi – square test, Fragmentation of sleep (P = 0.031; P < 0.05 ), poor sleep health (having sleep problems) (P = 0.042; P < 0.05+ ) had significant relationships with GPA. Spearman’s correlation was used to measure the relationship between those two aspects with GPA. According to the Spearman’s correlation, Fragmentation of sleep (P = 0.002; P < 0.01 ), poor sleep health (having sleep problems) (P = 0.005; P < 0.01 ) had significant relationships with GPA. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a significant relationship between sleep wake habits and the academic performance. This relationship is completely independent of the university. The findings may show the traditional sleeping patterns of the Sri Lankan students. Further, students suffering from any kind of sleeping problems were more proned to have low grades at the examinations than who did not have any sleeping problems.