Prevalence of Insomnia and Associated Factors Among Medical Students Who Recovered From Acute COVID-19 Infection
Presley Gruezo-Realpe1, Arianna Chango-Pinargote1, Monica Jaramillo-Castro1, Israel Rosero-Basurto1, Linker Viñan-Paucar1, Efrain Paredes-Gutierrez1, Jose Jara-Escobar1, Luis Bejar Saona2, Joyce Jimenez Zambrano3
1Universidad Catolica de Santiago de Guayaquil, 2Universidad de Guayaquil, 3Department of Neurology, University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of insomnia in medical students who recovered from acute COVID-19 infection and to evaluate the extent of its impact.
Background:
One of the most important health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is the prevalence of sleep-related issues, specifically insomnia. Under normal conditions, medical students are at high risk of problems associated with poor sleep quality. For this reason, we hypothesized that sleep disturbances have the potential to be amplified in medical students who recovered from acute COVID-19 infection.
Design/Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2022 among medical students who had recovered from acute COVID-19 infection. Data was collected through a survey with questions on sociodemographic aspects, health habits, and COVID-19 history. Insomnia severity and subjective sleep quality were measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires.
Results:
A total of 117 students were included in the study. Their mean age was 21.8 ± 1.96 years (ranging from 18 to 28), and 58.1% were female. 65% of medical students demonstrated some degree of insomnia (Total ISI score ≥8) further categorized as sub-threshold or mild (39.3%), moderate (24.8%), and severe (0.9%). 78.6% of the students reported some degree of sleep difficulty (PSQI >5). A statistically significant association was found between students with a history of symptomatic COVID and sleep quality. The correlation coefficient between the PSQI and ISI was 0.679, p <0.001. Significant correlations were found between self-reported physical health, emotional health, and questionnaire scores.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of insomnia among Ecuadorian medical students that recovered from acute COVID-19 infection is significantly high. Specific interventions should be considered to provide sleep health education, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, meditation, and wellness activities to identify and manage sleep issues in medical students.