Impact of Electronic Device Use on Sleep Quality among Medical College Students

Background: Sleep is essential for homeostasis, learning, and cognitive performance. In modern times, medical students are exposed to electronic devices for academic and recreational purposes. Sustained screen time, particularly near bedtime, is believed to have a negative impact on sleep quality by affecting the circadian rhythms and slowing the release of melatonin. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of using electronic devices on the quality of sleep among medical college students. Material and Methods: This observational study was done on 50 medical students. A pretested, validated, and structured questionnaire was used to collect the demographic data at the baseline, and the pattern of the use of electronic devices, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to collect data. The device usage characteristics that included duration, use time before going to sleep, and the purpose of using the device were compared with the sleep quality. Chi-square and independent t-tests were used to determine the statistical significance, where p <0.05 was thought to be significant. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 21.2 ± 1.8 years, with a higher percentage of females (56%). The primary device used by 90% of participants was smartphones, and the mean usage was 6.5 ± 2.3 hours per day. More importantly, 88% of these devices were used within one hour of bedtime, and the common reason was the use of social media or entertainment (70%). The assessment of sleep quality by PSQI showed scores 8.6 ± 3.5, with 76% classified as poor sleepers (PSQI >5). The following were found to be significantly associated with poor sleep quality: daily device usage of more than 4 hours (p=0.02), usage within one hour of bedtime (p=0.01), and higher mean daily usage duration (p<0.01). Conclusion: Excessive screen time per day and use of devices before sleep were strongly linked to poor quality of sleep among medical students. Interventions such as promoting screen-free time, pre-sleep routines, and structured digital hygiene are required. These measures could help decrease adverse effects and, more importantly, improve sleep quality in this group.

Keywords: Circadian rhythm, Electronic devices, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), screen time.