TY - JOUR T1 - Sleep behavior and disturbance in high school students; a cross-sectional study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 40 IS - Suppl 56 SP - P3831 AU - Roah Merdad AU - Siraj Wali AU - Douaa El Derwi AU - Ayman Krayem AU - Rawan Nassif Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3831.abstract N2 - Introduction Sleep disturbance and insufficient sleep pose a serious risk for adolescents as they have been linked to a higher incidence of road traffic accidents, psychological distress and decreased learning capacity.AimsTo investigate the sleep-wake patterns and prevalence of sleep disturbance among high school students and their relationship with school performance and psychological stress.MethodsA cross sectional study was carried out from January to May 2011 on a random sample of high school students. Participants completed a questionnaire which included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).Results947 students were recruited, of whom 55.6% were female with a mean age of (16.9±1.17). Marked delay of mean weekend sleep (04:58) and rise (12:04) time was identified. The total hours of sleep on school nights was 6.97 ± 2.72, with an average estimated sleep latency of 25 minutes. Ten percent of students reported using medications within the last month to help them fall asleep. Disturbed sleep (PSQI score >5) was found in 56% of the study participants. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) defined as ESS score of > 10 was found in around one third (37%) of students. Fifty-five percent were identified as psychologically distressed based on PSS. No significant difference was identified in PSQI global score between stressed and not stressed groups (p= 0.590), or between different GPAs (p= 0.129).ConclusionsMore than half of the students had sleep disturbance and over a third had abnormal daytime sleepiness. Further studies to investigate the reasons for such sleep problems and intervention programs are needed. ER -