Sleep Quality of Undergraduate Medical Students during and Post-Lockdown: A Cross-Sectional Research

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 and associated lockdowns have significantly impacted the lives of undergraduate medical students, including their sleep quality. This study attempts to investigate how sleep patterns, sleep quality, and associated factors altered during and post-lockdown. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 171 medical students from colleges registered under the National Medical Council participated. The study used a validated PSQI questionnaire. The data collected through Google forms were analyzed using SPSS v2021. RESULT: Among 171 study participants, 9.4% had bad sleep quality during lockdown which reduced to 4.7% post-lockdown significantly. Sleep latency and sleep duration were also significantly affected by the lockdown. There was a weak correlation between PSQI score during and post-lockdown, suggesting that individuals with poor sleep quality during lockdown also had poor sleep post-lockdown. According to the study, poor sleep quality decreased after lockdown as opposed to lockdown, with improvements in sleep latency and decreased use of sleep duration. CONCLUSION: However, there was a weak correlation between PSQI score during and post-lockdown. Increased screen time during lockdown negatively affected sleep quality, emphasizing the importance of practicing sleep hygiene and promoting outdoor activities to reduce stress levels and improve mental health.