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Abstract
Introduction: Many medical students experience poor sleep quality, often due to their demanding academic schedules and unhealthy lifestyle habits. Although exercise is thought to help improve sleep quality, findings regarding its specific effects on medical students have been inconsistent
Objectives: This cross-sectional study aims to assess the association between exercise habits and sleep quality among undergraduate medical students at Rawalpindi Medical University.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 363 undergraduate medical students enrolled at Rawalpindi Medical University. An online questionnaire was distributed to students via a Google Form. Sleep quality was assessed using a 7-question-based composite scoring system, while exercise variables- including frequency, duration, intensity, consistency, type, and time of day- were converted into numerical values. SPSS version 26 was used for data analysis. Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to assess the associations between exercise variables and sleep quality.
Results: No significant correlation was found between sleep quality and exercise frequency, duration, intensity, consistency, or time of day (p>0.05). Multiple linear regression showed that exercise variables could not significantly predict sleep quality, with an adjusted R2 of -0.002
Conclusion: This study finds no significant association between sleep quality and exercise habits among undergraduate medical students at Rawalpindi Medical University. These results suggest that, within this population, sleep quality may be influenced more by factors other than exercise habits.
Keywords: Exercise, physical activity, sleep, sleep quality, students, medical, sleep disorders, stress, psychological, regression analysis