Sleep Disorders among Dental Students: An Original Research.

Introduction: With the increased stress among the students, their sleep patterns have been derailed from the routine. Hence, in our study, we aimed to appraise among the dental students the occurrence of sleep disorders. Materials and
Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey study among 1115 dental students of 1-4 years. The survey was based on SLEEP-50 that had 50 questions that were given scores from 1 to 4 based on the response. The scores were analyzed for the statistical connotation, keeping P < 0.05 as significant.
Results: We observed that 352 students suffered from sleep disorders. The sex ratio of male:female was 25:75. No significant age variation was seen. For the various disorders, insomnia (25%), nightmares (13%), and sleepwalk (8%), circadian rhythm disorders (34%), obstructive sleep apnea (26%), and narcolepsy (30%) were noted with significant variation. The habit of alcohol was seen in 17% of students. Conclusions: The sleep disorders were prevalent among the dental students due to the great amount of stress caused in the study. They should be educated about the stress management methods and importance of sleep. Copyright:

INTRODUCTION

The sleep allows the mind and the body to relieve its stress and hence recuperate with the upcoming events. The sleep is an important aspect of the healthy body. Nevertheless, with the increased amount of stress that everyone has to face daily, the toll is being taken up on the sleep pattern.[123] Among those who are under high pressure, the dental college students occupy a great share as they have to study and practice the new knowledge that has been imparted to them. Hence, they experience a lot of pressure that puts them at the risk of sleep deprivation. There are many forms of sleep disorders that may point to the organic or the external cause. Previous studies have concluded the cause and effects of the sleep deprivations among the general public and the students.[456] However, there is a paucity of literature about sleep disorders among the dental students. Hence, in our study, we aimed to appraise among the dental students the occurrence of sleep disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a questionnaire-based survey among 1115 dental students who were selected from different colleges. The ethics approval was taken for this study. We selected the students from 1–4 years who were willing to participate in the survey. A 50 self-administered question-based SLEEP-50 survey was used in our study.[1] The scores were given as “1 - 'not at all,' 2 - 'somewhat,' 3 - 'rather much,' or 4 - 'very much' true.” The survey included disorders such as “insomnia, narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), circadian rhythm disorders (CRDs), sleepwalking, and nightmares.” The obtained scores were tabulated and analyzed for statistical connotation, keeping P < 0.05 as significant.

RESULTS

We observed that among the 1115 students who participated in the survey, 352 students had sleep disorders. The male-to-female ratio was 25:75 that was not statistically significant (0.64). There was no significant difference between the ages of the students (P = 0.524) [Table 1]. We witnessed that among the various sleep disorders, the following were noted – insomnia (25%), nightmares (13%) and sleepwalk (8%), CRDs (34%), OSA (26%), and narcolepsy (30%). For the sleep practices, we observed that no pleasure (7%), feel sad (9%), smoking (5%), alcohol (17%), late to bedroom (8%), and noisy (11%) were seen in the students that showed statistically significant variation [Table 2].

Table 1

Demographics of the students

Variable	Male	Female	P
Gender	257	858	0.64
Age (mean)	21±2.2	21±1.7	0.52

Table 2

Various sleep disorders and practices of the students

	Percentage	P
Sleep disorder
Insomnia	25	0.0412
Nightmares	13
Sleepwalk	8
CRDs	34
OSA	26
Narcolepsy	30
Sleep practice
No pleasure	7	0.0314
Feel sad	9
Smoking	5
Alcohol	17
Late to bedroom	8
Noisy	11

CRD: Circadian rhythm disorders, OSA: Obstructive sleep apnea

DISCUSSION

The optimal sleep is the essential component of healthy life. In the previous studies, the sleep deprivation of the university students has been elaborated.[2345] The students have to face various pressures of the academic and the other career aspects that cause the stress built up. The dental students have to endure the same pressures. Hence, in our study, we evaluated the dental students for the occurrence of sleep disorders. We noticed that over a third of the students exhibited disorders such as narcolepsy, OSA, CRDs, and insomnia that showed significant variation. These outcomes are in unison with the study of Smith.[4] In the study of Carney et al.,[5] insomnia was seen as the major cause. For the sleep practices, we observed that no pleasure (7%), feel sad (9%), smoking (5%), alcohol (17%), late to bedroom (8%), and noisy (11%) were seen in the students. In the study of Levin R,[6] noise was reported as a hindrance for the sleep. The sleep disorders had a proportional relation with the academic performance also.,[4567] The sleep of 6–8 h is advised for a healthy mind. Hence, the students have to be educated about the sleep and the methods to cope with stress. Since our study was a self-administered questionnaire study of about 50 questions, there were some inherent limitations such as the students may have felt fatigue to answer or biased in their opinion.

CONCLUSIONS

The sleep disorders were prevalent among the dental students due to the great amount of stress caused in the study. They should be educated about the stress management methods and importance of sleep.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.