Influence of sleep quality on academic performance of Biological Sciences students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17267/2594-7907ijeh.2026.e6585Keywords:
Sleep Quality, Daytime Sleepiness, Biological Sciences, Academic PerformanceAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Sleep plays a fundamental role in an individual's ability to assimilate and consolidate learning. Sleep quality is closely linked to the learning process, and its lack can lead to unsatisfactory academic performance as well as compromise the student's quality of life. OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to evaluate sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and their potential impact on the academic performance of university students in the Biological Sciences course, in both bachelor's and teaching degree modalities. METHODS: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess students' sleep quality, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was applied to analyze daytime sleepiness. Academic performance was evaluated using three questions regarding students' perception of their own academic achievement. The study included 76 biology students from the Universidade Federal do Oeste da Bahia (Federal University of Western Bahia), Barreiras-BA campus. RESULTS: More than half of the participants reported severe difficulties falling asleep, and daytime sleepiness with a PSQI median of 9.18 points and 9.3 points for ESS. Age-stratified analysis showed significant differences, indicating improved sleep quality and reduced sleepiness with advancing age (p<0.05). Students with poor sleep quality had 6 times higher chances of poor academic performance (p=0.6569) compared to colleagues who sleep well. CONCLUSION: Academic performance is statistically associated with poor sleep quality. Implementation of interventions aimed at reducing stress and promoting sleep hygiene is recommended, including the adoption of regular sleep and study schedules to improve both academic performance and overall student well-being.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Anna Brycia Brito Testi, Maria Cecilia Picinato
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
