Association Between Sleep Quality, Psychological Distress, and Academic Performance among Medical Students: Cross-Sectional Study in Saidu Medical College
Abstract
Background & Objective: Sleep disturbances and psychological distress are increasingly common among medical students due to demanding academic schedules and high levels of stress, and poor sleep quality may negatively impact mental health and academic functioning. However, evidence regarding the relationship between sleep patterns, psychological distress, and academic performance among medical students in Pakistan remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate these associations among undergraduate medical students. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in August 2025 at Saidu Medical College, Swat, Pakistan, involving 206 students from first to final year who completed a structured online questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics,sleep-relatedd variables, psychological distress, and self-reported academic performance. Sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleep medication use were recorded, and psychological distress was categorized as low, moderate, or high based on a composite score. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Among participants, 55.3% were male, with a mean age of 21.46 ± 1.79 years and an average sleep duration of 5.9 ± 0.99 hours per night. Approximately 37.4% reported low psychological distress, 34.5% moderate, and 28.2% high. Poorer sleep quality was significantly associated with shorter sleep duration (r = 0.284, p < 0.001) and higher psychological distress (r = 0.277, p < 0.001), while sleep duration was negatively correlated with psychological distress (r = −0.285, p < 0.001). No significant association was observed between sleep variables, psychological distress, and academic performance (p > 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that sleep quality, duration, and psychological distress were not independent predictors of academic performance (model R² = 0.02). Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of addressing sleep health and mental well-being among medical students to improve overall wellness. Key Words: Sleep Health, Mental well-being, Academic performance, Medical Students.