Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between sleep quality and academic performance among Jazan University students.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. To select a sample of 423 Saudi undergraduate students, aged older than 18 years, enrolled at Jazan University, during the academic year 2023/2024. Sleep quality, sleep latency, and sleep duration were measured by an Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Academic Performance Scale (APS) was used to measure academic performance.
Results: The study revealed that 65.8% of participants had poor sleep quality. Gender differences were significant, with more males having good sleep quality compared to females. While most students exhibited positive academic engagement, areas for improvement were identified, particularly in homework satisfaction. Significant correlations were found between sleep quality variables (subjective sleep quality, sleep efficiency, daytime dysfunction) and academic performance scores. Regarding academic performance, most students reported positive engagement in their studies, with a mean score of 31 out of 40 on the APS.
Conclusion: Finally, while there were strong correlations between gender and sleep quality, more investigation is required to identify additional possible variables affecting sleep and academic performance in college students. Additionally, students with higher sleep efficiency, better subjective sleep quality, and less severe daytime dysfunction tend to report higher academic performance scores.

Key words: sleep quality, academic performance, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Academic Performance Scale (APS), Saudi Arabia