Background: Stress in medical profession has been increasing nowadays due to various reasons. The stress starts in medical profession from the day the student joins his course. This stress affects the sleep of the medical students by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, disturbing the circadian rhythm, affect the balance of neurotransmitters involved in sleep regulation (GABA, Sertotonin, Nor epinephrine), increasing arousal and hyperarousal, etc. This sleep deprivation in turn affects academic performance and this further increases the stress and this vicious cycle continues.
Aims and Objective: The study was planned to assess the stress level among undergraduate medical students, their quality of sleep and the association between their perceived stress and the sleep quality.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 343 undergraduate medical college students in South India. Pre-validated questionnaire was used to measure the stress and sleep, respectively, and the association between both was measured.
Results: Around 94% of the undergraduate students perceived stress one kind or other. Three-fourth of the students (75.1%) had poor sleep quality. As the stress increases, the sleep quality decreased. Males perceived more stress than females.
Conclusion: This study clearly explains to the impact of stress on sleep, highlighting the intricate interplay between physiological, psychological, and behavioral factors. Managing stress through stress reduction techniques, relaxation exercises, and adopting healthy sleep habits can help improve sleep quality and break the cycle of stress and sleep disturbances.
Key words: Perceived Stress; Sleep; Medical Students
|
