The Sleepy Medical Student: Exploring Sociodemographic Factors and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Iraq

Abstract

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is a common problem among medical students, which can lead to poor academic performance, decreased quality of life, and increased risk of accidents. Understanding the factors associated with this sleepiness can help in developing effective interventions to improve the sleep quality and overall well-being of medical students. This study aims to assess the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) among Iraqi medical students. A cross-sectional study was carried out in October 2022 by filling a Google form. The study includes 241 medical students, using basic random sampling. Of those, 15.4% were medicine students, 31.5% were dentistry students and 53.1% were pharmacy students. Female students comprised 71.4% of the total student population. The EPWORTH sleepiness scale was 12.71(±4.30) And the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness was 53.53% among study students. Only gender showed a significant association with EDS prevalence where severe EDS was significantly higher in females. It is important for medical schools to address the issue of excessive daytime sleepiness and provide support to their students to improve their academic performance and overall quality of life.