Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global physical and mental health. This study sought to 1) assess Slovenian university students’ sleep habits during the initial COVID-19 epidemic and lockdown and 2) evaluate sleep hygiene’s role as a potential predictor of sleep quality dur...

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Main Authors: Vita Štukovnik, Marina Horvat, Vesna Vrečko Pizzulin, Leja Dolenc Grošelj
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Slovenian Medical Association 2024-12-01
Series:Zdravniški Vestnik
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Online Access:https://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/3523
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author Vita Štukovnik
Marina Horvat
Vesna Vrečko Pizzulin
Leja Dolenc Grošelj
author_facet Vita Štukovnik
Marina Horvat
Vesna Vrečko Pizzulin
Leja Dolenc Grošelj
author_sort Vita Štukovnik
collection DOAJ
description Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global physical and mental health. This study sought to 1) assess Slovenian university students’ sleep habits during the initial COVID-19 epidemic and lockdown and 2) evaluate sleep hygiene’s role as a potential predictor of sleep quality during this period. Methods: The prospective cross-sectional study was conducted during the first five weeks of the officially declared epidemic in Slovenia. A total of 541 participants (80% female; mean age 22.1, SD = 2.1) responsded to questions on sleep quality, changes in sleep patterns, sleep hygiene, and mental health. Results: A majority of university students (82.6%) reported either increased or unchanged sleep durations during the pandemic compared to the period before the pandemic. Conversely, 48.6% indicated less consistent sleep schedules, and 37.2% noted a decline in sleep quality. Regression analysis revealed that even after accounting for potentially sleep-affecting variables (demographics, physical and mental health status, stress, anxiety, and depression indicators), sleep hygiene remained a significant predictor of sleep quality. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the previously observed shifts in sleep patterns during the pandemic and highlight the pivotal role of sleep hygiene in maintaining sleep quality during such public health crises. Notably, this research also pioneers the investigation of sleep habits among Slovenian students, filling a notable gap in the literature, as no prior studies have addressed this demographic either before or during the pandemic.
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spelling doaj-art-9771ee2f16264690843014d087ff38822025-01-04T17:56:06ZengSlovenian Medical AssociationZdravniški Vestnik1318-03471581-02242024-12-019311-1236737610.6016/ZdravVestn.35233082Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemicVita Štukovnik0Marina Horvat1Vesna Vrečko Pizzulin2Leja Dolenc Grošelj3Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Maribor, SloveniaDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Maribor, SloveniaThe Division of Surgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, SloveniaInstitute of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, SloveniaBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global physical and mental health. This study sought to 1) assess Slovenian university students’ sleep habits during the initial COVID-19 epidemic and lockdown and 2) evaluate sleep hygiene’s role as a potential predictor of sleep quality during this period. Methods: The prospective cross-sectional study was conducted during the first five weeks of the officially declared epidemic in Slovenia. A total of 541 participants (80% female; mean age 22.1, SD = 2.1) responsded to questions on sleep quality, changes in sleep patterns, sleep hygiene, and mental health. Results: A majority of university students (82.6%) reported either increased or unchanged sleep durations during the pandemic compared to the period before the pandemic. Conversely, 48.6% indicated less consistent sleep schedules, and 37.2% noted a decline in sleep quality. Regression analysis revealed that even after accounting for potentially sleep-affecting variables (demographics, physical and mental health status, stress, anxiety, and depression indicators), sleep hygiene remained a significant predictor of sleep quality. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the previously observed shifts in sleep patterns during the pandemic and highlight the pivotal role of sleep hygiene in maintaining sleep quality during such public health crises. Notably, this research also pioneers the investigation of sleep habits among Slovenian students, filling a notable gap in the literature, as no prior studies have addressed this demographic either before or during the pandemic.https://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/3523sleeppredictors of sleep qualitysars-cov-2young adults
spellingShingle Vita Štukovnik
Marina Horvat
Vesna Vrečko Pizzulin
Leja Dolenc Grošelj
Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic
Zdravniški Vestnik
sleep
predictors of sleep quality
sars-cov-2
young adults
title Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_fullStr Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full_unstemmed Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_short Sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Slovenian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_sort sleep quality and sleep hygiene in slovenian university students during the covid 19 pandemic
topic sleep
predictors of sleep quality
sars-cov-2
young adults
url https://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/3523
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AT vesnavreckopizzulin sleepqualityandsleephygieneinslovenianuniversitystudentsduringthecovid19pandemic
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