Quality of sleep and use of computers and cellphones among university students

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the quality of sleep and its association with the use of computers and cell-phones among medicine and dentistry students. METHODS: Cross-sectional and comparative study, which evaluated 425 students through a socioeconomic questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI), and a questionnaire on their use of computers and cell phones. RESULTS: Poor sleep quality was observed in 61.4% of medical students and in 60.1% of dentistry students. Medical students with poor sleep quality had a higher mean time of computer use at night when compared to those with good sleep quality (p=0.04), as well as for computer (p<0.001) and cell phone use (p<0.01) immediately before bedtime. Dentistry students with poor sleep quality had a higher average time of computer use before bedtime than those with good sleep quality (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Students should receive guidance on prevention strategies and quality of sleep care.