Problematic mobile phone use among undergraduate medical students and its impact on sleep quality and sleep pattern

Introduction: Sleep deprivation is a concern in young adults and the use of mobile phone is very common in this population. This study aimed to measure and correlate the sleep quality, pattern of sleep and problematic mobile phone use in young medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale (PMPUS) and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) among medical students in a Malaysian medical college. Correlation among the variables was done using bi-variate analysis followed by Pearson correlation coefficient and 2-tailed significance. A level for p ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: We found significant positive correlation between poor sleep quality and total problematic mobile phone use as well as its sub dimensions, namely deprivation, adverse outcomes and control disorder. PSQI score showed significant negative correlation with different patterns of MEQ like moderate evening, late sleepers, moderate morning and early risers. Positive correlation of the PSQI with sub dimension of PMPUS reflects unhealthy dependency on mobile phone in this population. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the unhealthy use of mobile phone adversely affected sleep quality in the cohort of young medical students. It is thus important for medical schools to formulate policies and create educational programs vis-a-vis sleep health and to increase awareness regarding controlled mobile phone usage.