Assessment of Sleep Hygiene Practices and Its Effects on Sleep Quality Among Medical Students at UMST, Sudan

ABSTRACT Background Medical students face demanding academic schedules and elevated stress levels, predisposing them to poor sleep quality. Sleep hygiene — a set of behavioural and environmental practices aimed at optimising sleep — has been identified as a modifiable determinant of sleep quality, yet its role among medical students in Sudan remains unstudied. Objectives To assess current sleep hygiene practices among medical students at UMST and determine their association with sleep quality outcomes. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted at UMST among 240 medical students from three academic batches (3rd, 4th, and 5th year), selected via stratified random sampling. Data were collected using two validated self-administered instruments: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI). Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, Pearson correlation, and binary logistic regression were performed using SPSS version 23. Results Poor sleep quality (PSQI >5) was prevalent in 72.1% of participants (mean PSQI 7.25 ± 2.66), and poor sleep hygiene (SHI >16) in 92.5% (mean SHI 27.1 ± 7.9). SHI score (continuous) was the only significant independent predictor of sleep quality on logistic regression (OR = 1.13 per unit increase; 95% CI: 1.08–1.19; p < 0.001), equivalent to a 3.4-fold increase in odds per 10-unit rise in SHI score. Female sex was additionally identified as a significant predictor (OR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.00–3.53; p = 0.049). A significant positive correlation was observed between PSQI and SHI scores (r = 0.359, p < 0.001). Conclusion Poor sleep hygiene is highly prevalent among UMST medical students and is the most significant modifiable predictor of poor sleep quality, with each unit increase in SHI score increasing the odds of poor sleep quality by 13%. These findings highlight a gap in sleep health education within Sudanese medical institutions and support the integration of targeted sleep hygiene interventions into the medical curriculum.