Assessment of Insomnia Symptoms, Quality of Life, Daytime Sleepiness, and Psychoactive Substance Use among Polish Students: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey for Years 2016–2021 before and during COVID-19 Pandemic

Sleep disorders are a serious health problem worldwide, and insomnia is their most common manifestation. An increasing number of people have insomnia every year, young adults, especially. Due to the importance that sleep has in almost every aspect of our lives, the need to monitor disturbances in circadian rhythms has arisen. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of sleep disorders among Polish students, including their quality of life (QOL) and drug use patterns. The study also investigated associations between sleep, QoL, and drug use. The study was conducted in 2016–2021 based on the self-made sociodemographic questionnaire, as well as standardized psychometric tools: Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Manchester Short Assessment of quality of life (MANSA). A total of 14,844 students participated in the study. The majority were women (80.7%), of which 3425 (23.1%) were medical students, with the most numerous representing medical and dental faculties, 1884 (57.2%). Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 52.1% of the surveys were collected; 54.1% of respondents had insomnia as indicated by the AIS scores, and 26.1% displayed sleepiness during the day. Female students, the first-year college students, more often suffered from sleep disorders. Drug use was widespread among Polish students, correlating with sleep assessment results and QoL. In conclusion, sleep disorders are a significant clinical problem among Polish students. Female and junior students’ years are more prone to sleep deprivation. Insufficient sleep can be associated with a lower QoL score and psychoactive substance use. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep are not conclusive, because there was decreasing quality for longer sleep durations. In order to analyze these associations, there is a need for further in-depth study.