The association between sleep quality and anxiety among postsecondary students

Abstract

Introduction: Poor sleep quality has been associated with anxiety in postsecondary students. However, high-quality epidemiological evidence about this association is lacking. Purpose: To determine whether poor sleep quality is associated with anxiety in undergraduate university students. Methods: Two studies were conducted. First, a systematic review of the literature was conducted on the association between poor sleep quality and anxiety. Second, the association between poor sleep quality and moderate to extremely severe anxiety was measured in a cross-sectional study in postsecondary students enrolled in two faculties at Ontario Tech University (formerly known as he University of Ontario Institute of Technology) and the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College during the 2017 fall academic term. Results: After screening and critically appraising all relevant articles, 27 of 28 studies reported a significant association between sleep quality and anxiety. Results from the cross-sectional study show that students who reported poor sleep quality were more likely to report moderate to extremely severe anxiety. Conclusions: Both studies suggest that poor sleep quality is associated with anxiety in postsecondary students. To determine if poor sleep quality is an independent risk factor for anxiety in Canadian postsecondary students cohort studies are needed.