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Good quality sleep is associated with better academic performance among university students in Ethiopia

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Abstract

Purpose

This study assessed the association of sleep quality with academic performance among university students in Ethiopia.

Methods

This cross-sectional study of 2,173 college students (471 female and 1,672 male) was conducted in two universities in Ethiopia. Students were selected into the study using a multistage sampling procedure, and data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and academic performance was based on self-reported cumulative grade point average. The Student’s “t” test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression were used to evaluate associations.

Results

We found that students with better sleep quality score achieved better on their academic performance (P value = 0.001), while sleep duration was not associated with academic performance in the final model.

Conclusion

Our study underscores the importance of sleep quality on better academic performance. Future studies need to identify the possible factors which influence sleep quality other than the academic environment repeatedly reported by other literature. It is imperative to design and implement appropriate interventions to improve sleep quality in light of the current body of evidence to enhance academic success in the study setting.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Multidisciplinary International Research Training Program, National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, and National Institutes of Health (T37-MD001449). The NIH had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors thank Addis Continental Institute of Public Health for providing facilities and logistic support throughout the research process. The authors also thank the Universities of Gondar and Haramaya for supporting the conduct of this study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Seblewengel Lemma & Yemane Berhane

  2. School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Alemayehu Worku

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Bizu Gelaye & Michelle A. Williams

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  1. Seblewengel Lemma
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  2. Yemane Berhane
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Correspondence to Seblewengel Lemma.

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Lemma, S., Berhane, Y., Worku, A. et al. Good quality sleep is associated with better academic performance among university students in Ethiopia. Sleep Breath 18, 257–263 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-013-0874-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-013-0874-8

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