Universal Journal of Public Health 11(3): 359-369, 2023 http://www.hrpub.org
DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2023.110310
Insomnia and Associated Factors among Healthcare
Students: Post Pandemic Cross Sectional Survey
Mathar Mohideen Nagoor Thangam
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Received February 20, 2023; Revised May 25, 2023; Accepted June 9, 2023
Cite This Paper in the Following Citation Styles
(a): [1] Mathar Mohideen Nagoor Thangam , "Insomnia and Associated Factors among Healthcare Students: Post
Pandemic Cross Sectional Survey," Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 359 - 369, 2023. DOI:
10.13189/ujph.2023.110310.
(b): Mathar Mohideen Nagoor Thangam (2023). Insomnia and Associated Factors among Healthcare Students: Post
Pandemic Cross Sectional Survey. Universal Journal of Public Health, 11(3), 359 - 369. DOI:
10.13189/ujph.2023.110310.
Copyright©2023 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License
Abstract Background: Insomnia is the most ignored
problem among healthcare students. The complexity of the
healthcare courses gives more academic pressure. The
pandemic had significantly affected health, the educational
system, and students’ habits. The pre-pandemic studies
reported more sleep problems among healthcare students.
So this study is essential to identify the current status of
insomnia among students. Aim: The major aim of this
study was to identify the prevalence and severity of
insomnia among healthcare students after the COVID-19
pandemic and to examine the association between
insomnia and selected variables. Materials and methods:
This cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted
among 300 healthcare students at the University of Tabuk,
Saudi Arabia. Students were surveyed using the Insomnia
Severity Index (ISI) to identify the prevalence of insomnia.
Results: The prevalence of insomnia among healthcare
students is as follows: No insomnia (17.33%), subthreshold
insomnia (49.33%), moderate insomnia (31.33%), and
severe clinical insomnia (2%). The mean score on the ISI
was 12.37±4.77. 77% of the students reported that
academic load affected their sleep patterns. The usage of
social media and online games at night was high among
students. Participants’ age, sleep hours, quality of sleep,
academic load, drinking coffee or tea before bedtime,
snoring, medical problems, smoking, and usage of social
media & online games at night had a significant effect on
the sleep pattern. Conclusions: The results of this study
emphasized the necessity of sleep education and sleep
hygiene among medical students. There is an urgent need
for further studies to focus on health status and sleep
disturbance, sleep patterns and learning capabilities, and
interventional studies to improve sleep patterns. Enhancing
sleep self-awareness among medical students is necessary
for managing this issue.
Keywords Insomnia, Health Care Students, Quality of
Sleep, Insomnia Severity Index, Prevalence of Insomnia
1. Introduction
In everyone’s life, sleep is an important phenomenon.
We spend around one-third of our life on that. Sleep is an
important part of the physiological phenomena of nature
for every organism as a resting period. Insomnia is a sleep
disorder that is characterized by an inability to initiate or
stay asleep for long [1]. Insomnia is the perception of a lack
of sleep or an abnormal sleep pattern. In this study,
insomnia is defined as “difficulty in falling asleep or
staying asleep”. The person with insomnia might have
difficulty initiating sleep, shorter duration of sleep,
frequent awakenings, and nonrestorative sleep. Globally,
more than 1 billion are thought to suffer from sleep
disorders [2].
Insomnia causes daytime tiredness, excessive daytime
sleepiness (EDS), mind or feeling changes, and reduced
mental as well as physical functioning. The following
factors can contribute to insomnia: depression, anxiety,
stress, drug abuse, medical problems, or other sleep
disorders, but for some persons, it might be without any