The sleep quality of university students: a multicenter study

Introduction: Sleep is an important component of lifestyle. It affects the quality of life and translates into the effectiveness of activities during the day. Poor quality sleep can lead to physical, psychological and social disorders. Sleep is considered a sociological, anthropological and cultural phenomenon. The aim of this study was to compare the sleep quality of students from different countries. Methods: The study was conducted among 532 Polish, Turkish, Hungarian and Greek students, between December 2016 and March 2017. A diagnostic survey and a questionnaire technique were used. The link to the online questionnaire was sent to students via the Internet, or made available as a printed copy. Student opinions were measured using a 5-point Likert scale. Results: The data showed that the majority of students sleep well, but have sleepless nights due to study and social life, when they wake up sleepless and early. In-depth analysis showed a statistical significance between the studied components of students' sleep and their country of origin: length and quality of sleep, falling asleep due to study and social life, feeling rested in the morning, and problems with waking up and falling back to sleep. Conclusions: Significant differences were found in the sleep patterns of students of different nationalities. Issues related to sleep and its problems should be discussed by organisations, as well as those responsible for constructing educational programmes and planning studies.