Amount of Sleep, Daytime Sleepiness, Hazardous Driving, and Quality of Life of Second Year Medical Students.

OBJECTIVE: The authors describe the sleep habits of second year medical students and look for associations between reported sleep duration and depression, burnout, overall quality of life, self-reported academic success, and falling asleep while driving.

METHODS: The authors conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study of two consecutive cohorts of second year medical students at a large public university in the USA. Participants completed an anonymous survey about their sleep habits, daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale), burnout (Maslach burnout inventory), depression (PRIME MD), and perceived stress (perceived stress scale). Categorical and continuous variables were compared using chi square tests and t tests, respectively.

RESULTS: Sixty-eight percent of the students responded. Many (34.3%) reported fewer than 7 h of sleep on typical weeknights, including 6.5% who typically sleep less than 6 h. Twenty-five students (8.4%) reported nodding off while driving during the current academic year. Low typical weeknight sleep (fewer than 6 h vs 6-6.9 h vs 7 or more hours) was associated with (1) higher Epworth sleepiness scale scores, (2) nodding off while driving, (3) symptoms of burnout or depression, (4) decreased satisfaction with quality of life, and (5) lower perceived academic success (all p values ≤0.01). Students reporting under 6 h of sleep were four times more likely to nod off while driving than those reporting 7 h or more.

CONCLUSION: Educational, behavioral, and curricular interventions should be explored to help pre-clinical medical students obtain at least 7 h of sleep most on weeknights.