Impact of COVID-19 on the Sleep and Mental Status of University Students

Quality sleep with good mental health plays an important role for university students. Objective: To determine the impact of COVID-19 on the sleep quality of university students in Hyderabad and adjoining areas. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted at the University of Sindh from December 2020 to February 2021 during the peak period of COVID-19. There were a total of 232 randomly selected male and female university students during the research work. The data were statistically calculated in percent and frequencies by using SPSS software version-21. The statistical difference was determined by applying a chi-square test and the p-value of < 0.05 was set as significant. Results: The majority (63%) of males were spending 8-9 hours on sleeping. Most of the females (52%) were spending less time (4-5 hours) on sleeping. Day naps were common in men compared to women and also 25% of males were taking sleeping pills frequently. About 27% of males and 8% of females reported headaches on waking up in the morning. Females were going early for sleeping compared to males. Conclusions: COVID-19 affected the sleep that might have also impacted the mental health of male and female university students during a stressful pandemic situation of COVID-19.