Abstract

ABSTRACT
Background: Day time sleepiness
remains an unexplored area of
research in Nigeria despite its far
reaching implication on cognitive
function and productivity. This study
was carried out to evaluate the
prevalence of day time sleepiness
among medical students in a
Nigerian University.
Methods: A questionnaire based
cross sectional descriptive study
involving medical students of a
Nigerian University. All levels of the
medical school participated except
for 300 and 600 level students who
were not in session.
Subjects and methods
A total of 272 subjects
(m=164(60.4%) and (f=105(38.7%)
with a mean of 21.4±2.9 years were
recruited by convenience. In
addition to socio demographics
characteristics, subjects were
required to give a self report of
daytime sleepiness.
Results: A majority 198 (72.8%) of the
subjects; M=118(59.6%) and F=80
(40.4%) suffered from day time
sleepiness. 69/198 (34.8%)
experienced daytime sleepiness
everyday of the week. Day time
sleepiness was more common among
100 and 400 level students. 95/198
(40.0%) of the subjects did not
experiencearefreshingnighttimesleep.
Conclusion: The high prevalence of
day time sleepiness found in this
study presents a public health
concern since the presence of
daytime sleepiness could be
associated with underlying medical/
psychological disorders. There is a
need for future studies to address
these correlates of day time
sleepiness. It is recommended that
strategies to enlighten students on
sleep hygiene should be pursued.

Key words: Keywords: Day time sleepiness, medical students, Nigeria.