Impact of sleep patterns on mood and academic performance of medical students

Sleep a vital biological process is essential for physical & psychological restoration. Owing to their hectic schedules, medical students, in particular, are known to have erratic sleep patterns and suffer from sleep disturbances, fatigue and mood changes. This study was designed to analyze the sleep patterns and to correlate sleep deprivation with incidence of anxiety, depression, daytime sleepiness and performance among 100 students of 1^st year MBBS by means of a validated questionnaire. 44% students reported sleeping >8 Hrs and only 51% were regular in their sleep schedule. Females (32%) were found to follow a more regular sleep schedule compared to males (68%) and reported better performance and lesser level of anxiety and depression in those sleeping for more than 8 hrs. Day scholars had a better and a regular schedule compared to hostellers and they also had significantly (p =0.034) better performance. This study found that an old saying “early to bed and early to rise makes man healthy, wealthy and wise” holds true. Those following regular schedule, sleeping early and rising early in the morning have better academic performance and lower levels of anxiety and depression. This study highlights the prevalence of disturbed sleep patterns as a significant cause of poor performance and mood disturbances in medical students.