ASSOCIATION OF SLEEP PROBLEMS AND COMMON MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN ENGINEERING STUDENTS OF SGT UNIVERSITY, GURUGRAM, INDIA

Introduction:Sleep is naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by altered consciousness, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles and reduced interactions with surroundings. Chronic disturbances can lead to poor sleep quality which may manifest as increased irritability, anxiety, tension, depression, confusion. The undergraduate years are a period of vulnerability when considering sleep problems and mental health may tend to worsen over time. Alcohol, tobacco, and stimulant beverages such as tea/ caffeine affect the quality of sleep. Students are more prone to adopt and practice maladaptive sleep hygiene such as irregular bedtime, academic pressure, internet addiction, electronic media exposure, alcohol consumption and smoking, which affects quality of sleep.

Material and Methods:The study was a cross sectional, interview based, non-interventional studyconducted on the engineering students at SGT University, Budhera, Gurgaon, Haryana, India. Data was collected through questionnaires such as Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, The Epworth `Sleepiness Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, The general health questionnaire.

Results:A total of 274 students were included in the study. The mean age was20.11 ± 1.30 years and there were more male (77.3%) students as compared to females (22.7%). Alcohol use was present in 43(11.7%) of students, cannabis intake was present in 11(4%), nicotine intake was reported by 39(14.2%) of students and only one student reported of taking opioid. DASS-A, DASS-S, DASS-D, GHQ-12, PSQI were positively correlated with each other when associations were studied individually.  

Conclusion:In our study,it was established that poor sleep quality in engineering students was significantly associated with poor mental and physical health.