Abstract
Objective
The authors describe the sleep habits of second year medical students and look for associations between reported sleep duration and depression, burnout, overall quality of life, self-reported academic success, and falling asleep while driving.
Methods
The authors conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study of two consecutive cohorts of second year medical students at a large public university in the USA. Participants completed an anonymous survey about their sleep habits, daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale), burnout (Maslach burnout inventory), depression (PRIME MD), and perceived stress (perceived stress scale). Categorical and continuous variables were compared using chi square tests and t tests, respectively.
Results
Sixty-eight percent of the students responded. Many (34.3%) reported fewer than 7 h of sleep on typical weeknights, including 6.5% who typically sleep less than 6 h. Twenty-five students (8.4%) reported nodding off while driving during the current academic year. Low typical weeknight sleep (fewer than 6 h vs 6–6.9 h vs 7 or more hours) was associated with (1) higher Epworth sleepiness scale scores, (2) nodding off while driving, (3) symptoms of burnout or depression, (4) decreased satisfaction with quality of life, and (5) lower perceived academic success (all p values ≤0.01). Students reporting under 6 h of sleep were four times more likely to nod off while driving than those reporting 7 h or more.
Conclusion
Educational, behavioral, and curricular interventions should be explored to help pre-clinical medical students obtain at least 7 h of sleep most on weeknights.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Erika Goldstein, Julie Calcavecchia, and Karen McDonough for the support of data collection and entry.
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This study was determined exempt by the University of Washington Institutional Review Board.
Ethical Considerations
Surveys were filled out anonymously.
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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
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Johnson, K.M., Simon, N., Wicks, M. et al. Amount of Sleep, Daytime Sleepiness, Hazardous Driving, and Quality of Life of Second Year Medical Students. Acad Psychiatry 41, 669–673 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-017-0668-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-017-0668-6