Association between Anxiety and Sleepiness in Medical Students of the University of Guadalajara (Mexico)

Abstract

Introduction: Medical students could potentially be considered as a vulnerable group in terms of increased risk for anxiety and sleep disorders. This could be caused by high academic demands, and high levels of stress. There is little information, however, when it comes to the relationship between anxiety and excessive daytime sleepiness among medical students, and the potentially negative effects this relationship could have upon student health and academic performance. The objective was to identify the association between anxiety and excessive daytime sleepiness in medical students of the University of Guadalajara (Mexico). Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out, evaluating 173 students between January and April of 2019. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale was used for the determination of excessive daytime sleepiness, while the anxiety symptoms were measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. According to the cut-off points for the Epworth scales, the cut-off point was from 10 and for the Beck anxiety inventory it was 8. Chi square and Fisher’s exact test were used for statistical analysis. A value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between the students when comparing the presence and absence of excessive daytime sleepiness and anxiety with a value of p = 0.036 and Odds Ratio of 2.161. Conclusion: A high prevalence of anxiety and insomnia was found in the group of medical students which was evaluated. Additionally, it was found that students who suffer from
anxiety are more likely to develop excessive daytime sleepiness.