Daytime sleepiness and chronic sleep deprivation effects on academic performance among the Sudanese medical students

ObjectivesThe literature has shown a negative impact of daytime sleepiness on the academic performance of medical students. This study explored the relationship between academic performance, sleep deprivation, and daytime sleepiness among Sudanese medical students.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted on 108 medical students from Omdurman University during the period from June to August 2014. Male and female students with excellent (A) and average (C) grades in the clinical phases of their studies were chosen. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire contained questions about the following: subjective feelings of insufficient sleep, feelings of sleepiness during class time, sleeping less than 6 h for six nights in a row, smoking status, medical or neurological diseases, and daytime sleepiness as assessed by the Epworth sleepiness scale.ResultA significant difference (p < 0.001) was found between the A (excellent) and C (average) groups regarding daytime sleepiness, insufficient sleep, sleeping less than 6 h per night, and falling asleep while reading (p < 0.005). No significant difference was reported regarding snoring or the subjective feeling of sleepiness during study hours.ConclusionOur study underscores the enormous effects of sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness on academic performance among medical students. Larger multicenter studies are needed to examine the causes and to implement preventive measures for the serious effects of these significant health problems.