ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENT

INFLUENCE OF DIURNAL PREFERENCE IN MEDICAL STUDENTS

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate sleep hygiene and its relationship with academic
performance in adults. Study Design: Cross sectional. Place and duration of the study. The
study was conducted at Dow Medical College, Dow university of Health sciences Karachi from
December 2012 to November 2013. Material and methods: Subjects were students from
first year to final year. Instrument was an integrated questionnaire (Horne JA and Ostberg O
Morningness- Eveningness questionnaire MEQ original 1976) designed to assess chronotype
of young adult population. Subjects (N = 690) completed a questionnaire packet and provided
their GPA. Results: it was observed that students organizing their activities closer to the
morning reported higher GPA whereas students with lower grades reported evening type
personality. Conclusions: This study may help universities to decrease the prevalence of poor
sleep hygiene by developing interventions programs that target adolescents with low academic
achievement.