Sleep Patterns and Associated Insomnia in Junior and Senior Medical Students: A Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Appropriate quality and quantity of sleep are critical for good mental health, optimal body functioning, memory consolidation, and other cognitive processes. Objectives To evaluate the sleeping patterns of medical students in Saudi Arabia and their relationships with psychological distress. Methods This was a cross-sectional, self-administered, questionnaire-based study. The study included medical students from a university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) were used to evaluate the prevalence and burden of inadequate sleep quality and insomnia in the participants. Results The majority of the participants was women (76.6%). Furthermore, most participants (96.2%) were aged between 18 and 24 years old, while 54.4% of the participants were in their senior year. According to the AIS scores (mean: 15.85 ± 4.52), 98.7% of the participants exhibited insomnia symptoms. The PSQI scores (mean: 9.53 ± 5.67) revealed that 70.5% of the participants had poor sleep quality. Students in their fundamental and junior years had significantly higher percentages of insomnia symptoms and poor sleep quality compared with students in their senior years. Conclusion The prevalence of insomnia and poor sleep quality is high among medical students. Therefore, appropriate strategies for early detection and intervention are warranted.

Sleep Patterns and Associated Insomnia in Junior and Senior Medical Students: A Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Introduction Appropriate quality and quantity of sleep are critical for good mental health, optimal body functioning, memory consolidation, and other cognitive processes. Objectives To evaluate the sleeping patterns of medical students in Saudi Arabia and their relationships with psychological distress. Methods This was a cross-sectional, self-administered, questionnaire-based study. The study included medical students from a university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) were used to evaluate the prevalence and burden of inadequate sleep quality and insomnia in the participants. Results The majority of the participants was women (76.6%). Furthermore, most participants (96.2%) were aged between 18 and 24 years old, while 54.4% of the participants were in their senior year. According to the AIS scores (mean: 15.85 ± 4.52), 98.7% of the participants exhibited insomnia symptoms. The PSQI scores (mean: 9.53 ± 5.67) revealed that 70.5% of the participants had poor sleep quality. Students in their fundamental and junior years had significantly higher percentages of insomnia symptoms and poor sleep quality compared with students in their senior years. Conclusion The prevalence of insomnia and poor sleep quality is high among medical students. Therefore, appropriate strategies for early detection and intervention are warranted.

Consumption of energy drinks and their effects on sleep quality among medical students.

Background and Objectives: Energy drinks contain caffeine, which causes genuine concern among health professionals and authorities about their negative health effects. Their effect on sleep quality specifically was not well studied. In our study, we aim to assess the prevalence of energy drink consumption and its effect on the quality of sleep among Saudi medical students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on 260 medical students who were in their first till the sixth academic year at King Abdulaziz University Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was distributed as a Google form including demographics, the beverage questionnaire (BEVQ-15), and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Results: Coffee was found to be the most favorite (56.5%) caffeinated beverage among medical students, 46.2% reported a sleep duration of 5 h, and 15% reported a sleep latency of more than 30 min. Also, 19.3% were found to have reduced sleep efficiency (less than 74%) and 82.6% used sleep medication once a week. Male students had a significantly higher mean frequency of drinking Energy & Sports drinks (Red Bull, code red, Gatorade, etc.) compared to females. Moreover, 74.6% of the medical students studied had poor sleep quality, with no relationship found between sleep quality and participant demographics, favorite caffeinated beverages, BEVQ-15 scale scores, or the frequency of energy drink consumption. In contrast, the PSQI and BEVQ-15 scores showed a significant positive correlation. Conclusion: Students at the university level should be educated on the causes of poor sleep quality and the effect of energy drinks on sleep quality. More research on a larger sample of Saudi university students is needed to determine the scope of the problem.

A Retrospective Study on Vitamin D Status and Its Association With Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Children With Chronic Kidney Disease at King Abdulaziz University Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is a significant global health issue. It is prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, which is an important cause of death among children. Many studies have found a link between low vitamin D status in CKD patients and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. However, there are no data on this relationship in children with CKD in Saudi Arabia. AIMS: We aimed to demonstrate this association among children with CKD admitted to the King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected between June and August 2020 from a convenience sample of pediatric patients. RESULTS: In total, 153 pediatric patients with CKD stages 2-5 were admitted to the KAUH between 2010 and 2019, and 67.3% had CKD stage 5. Approximately 4.6% and 10.5% of the participants were overweight or obese, respectively. Patients who fell into the lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) tertile were older, had higher body mass index (BMI) values, and had higher blood pressure than those in the upper two tertiles; however, these differences were not statistically significant. There was a significant inverse association of 25(OH)D levels with BMI, blood pressure, and serum creatinine levels. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this retrospective study suggest that patients with CKD and lower vitamin D levels have a higher BMI and blood pressure and are therefore at higher risk of developing CVD. Future prospective studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm these findings. Randomized clinical trials are also needed to investigate the effect of sufficient vitamin D status on reducing CVD in patients with CKD.

Menstrual cycle irregularity during examination among female medical students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Menstrual irregularity is defined as any differences in the frequency, irregularity of onset, duration of flow, or volume of blood from the regular menstrual cycle. It is an important medical issue that many medical students suffer from. The study aimed to determine the menstrual cycle abnormalities women experienced during exams and to investigate the most common types of irregularities among female medical students at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among female medical students between September and October 2021 at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For this study, the estimated sample size (n = 450) was derived from the online Raosoft sample size calculator. Thus, 450 female medical students from second to sixth year were selected through stratified random sampling. A validated online questionnaire collected data about demographics, menstrual irregularities during exams, type of irregularities, menstrual history, family history of menstrual irregularities, premenstrual symptoms, medication use, medical and family consultations, and absenteeism. The chi-squared test (χ2) was used to analyze the associations between variables. RESULTS: A total of 48.2% of participants had menstrual irregularities during exams. The most common irregularity was dysmenorrhea (70.9%), followed by a lengthened cycle (45.6%), and heavy bleeding (41.9%). A total of 93% of medical students suffered from premenstrual symptoms and 60.4% used medication such as herbal medication and home remedies to relieve menstrual irregularities, and 12.1% of the students missed classes due to menstrual irregularities. A non-significant relationship was found between menstrual irregularities during exams and students' demographics, academic year, and age at menarche, while oligomenorrhea, a heavier than normal bleed, a longer than normal cycle, and missing classes due to menstrual irregularities were significantly higher among single students as opposed to married students. CONCLUSION: The results showed that female medical students have a significant frequency of menstruation abnormalities during exams period. Colleges should raise awareness among medical students about coping with examination stress and seeking medical care for menstrual abnormalities.