Good quality sleep is associated with better academic performance among university students in Ethiopia
Open accessAbstract
Purpose This study assessed the association of sleep quality with academic performance among university students in Ethiopia.Methods This cross-sectional study of 2,173 college students (471 female and 1,672 male) was conducted in two universities in Ethiopia. Students were selected into the study using a multistage sampling procedure, and data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and academic performance was based on self-reported cumulative grade point average. The Student's "t" test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression were used to evaluate associations.Results We found that students with better sleep quality score achieved better on their academic performance (P value = 0.001), while sleep duration was not associated with academic performance in the final model.Conclusion Our study underscores the importance of sleep quality on better academic performance. Future studies need to identify the possible factors which influence sleep quality other than the academic environment repeatedly reported by other literature. It is imperative to design and implement appropriate interventions to improve sleep quality in light of the current body of evidence to enhance academic success in the study setting.
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Most studies looking at the effects of sleep quality and duration on academic performance have linked longer and better-quality sleep with better academic performance such as school grades and study effort.
“While a few studies report null effects,20,21 most studies looking at the effects of sleep quality and duration on academic performance have linked longer and better-quality sleep with better academic performance such as school grades and study effort.4,6,9–13,22–27”
From Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students (2019) · cites this paper as [13]
The Introduction reports that good sleep quality predicts better academic performance and that most prior studies associate performance with an optimal sleep duration of 7–8 hours. It does not support a general claim that longer sleep is better: it notes a study linking sleep over eight hours to poor performance, and this paper's Abstract Results found no sleep-duration association. The cited passages also do not establish an association with study effort. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSelf-reported sleep measures from students in their own homes have been found to be associated with academic performance.
“self-reported sleep measures from students in the comfort of their own homes have also been found to be associated with academic performance.9–13”
From Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students (2019) · cites this paper as [13]
The Abstract Methods and Results report questionnaire-based sleep measures and an association between sleep quality and academic performance. The Discussion says almost all participants lived in shared university dormitories, so the description of students being in their own homes is not supported. (LLM, conf=0.89)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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- Authors
- Lemma, S., Berhane, Y., Worku, A., Gelaye, B., & Williams, M. A.
- Affiliations
- Addis Continental Institute of Public Health (ET)
- Addis Ababa University (ET)
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lemma, Seblewengel
- Berhane, Yemane
- Worku, Alemayehu
- Gelaye, Bizu
- Williams, Michelle A.
- Venue
- Sleep and Breathing
- Published
- 2013-08-09
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 257-263
- ISSN
- 1520-9512 (ISSN-L)
- 1522-1709
- PMC
- PMC3918486
- OpenAlex
- W1985603219
- Cited by
- 94
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 2.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Sleep And Breathing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Gondar
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (T37MD001449)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Outcomes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Keywords
- sleep quality, academic performance, university students, sleep duration, grade point average, student health, Ethiopia
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Female, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Sleep, Students, Substance-Related Disorders, Catha, Young Adult
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