Sleep irregularity is associated with night-time technology, dysfunctional sleep beliefs and subjective sleep parameters amongst female university students
Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Scientific Reports
Publication Date
12-1-2025
Abstract
Sleep irregularity has been linked to multiple deleterious consequences in clinical populations or community adults and adolescents, but little is known about young adults. In this study, we explored the relationships between two measures of sleep regularity and a wide range of factors (lifestyle behaviors, subjective sleep, clinical outcomes, and academic performance) in a sample of female, university students in the United Arab Emirates. A total of 176 participants were recruited. Objective estimates of sleep–wake patterns were obtained using seven-day wrist actigraphy and data were used to calculate daily sleep regularity with the Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) and weekly sleep regularity with the social jetlag (SJL). Subjective sleep measures were also acquired using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (DBAS), and daytime napping frequency. Self-reported night-time technology use frequency was ascertained using the Technology Use Questionnaire (TUQ). Psychological health was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Objective physical health measurements for body mass index, fasting blood glucose and blood pressure were obtained. No significant associations emerged between sleep regularity and psychological physical health, or academic performance. However, significant relationships were detected between SRI and daytime napping frequency (p-value = 0.0017), PSQI (p-value = 0.0337), and DBAS (p-value = 0.0176), suggesting that daily irregular sleep patterns are associated with more frequent daytime napping, greater dysfunctional sleep beliefs, and poorer subjective sleep quality. Conversely, SJL was significantly associated with the DBAS (p-value = 0.0253), and the TUQ (p-value = 0.0208), indicating that weekly irregular sleep patterns are linked to greater dysfunctional sleep beliefs and increased nighttime technology use. In conclusion, efforts to educate and cultivate sustainable and consistent sleep–wake patterns amongst university students are needed, which can be achieved by raising awareness, promoting good sleep health habits, and minimizing excessive bedtime technology.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
15
Issue
1
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Keywords
Bedtime technology, Daytime napping, Female university students, Sleep beliefs, Sleep quality, Sleep regularity
Scopus ID
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Arora, Teresa; Vaquerizo-Villar, Fernando; Hornero, Roberto; and Gozal, David, "Sleep irregularity is associated with night-time technology, dysfunctional sleep beliefs and subjective sleep parameters amongst female university students" (2025). All Works. 7108.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/7108
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series
