Dados do Trabalho

Título

THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS AND SLEEP QUALITY IN MEDICINE ACADEMICS IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Introdução

Sleep is physiologically a reversible behavioral state that has several essential functions for the body, such as energy saving; role in neuronal plasticity; episodic memory consolidation and learning. The literature reports that the period of social isolation, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, brought the hyperconnectivity of subjects as one of the harms. Given this scenario, it is hypothesized that the excessive use of social networks can, in turn, cause negative consequences for the health of the population.

Objetivo

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between social media use and self-reported sleep quality in medical students before and during the pandemic.

Métodos

A questionnaire containing 3 personal questions and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was randomly applied to medical students via Google Forms, in order to assess the quality of sleep before and during the pandemic. The groups were compared using the paired t test, and a significance value of p<0.05 was adopted.

Resultados

Out of the 150 medical students that participated in the study, 90% said that social isolation affected sleep quality and only 10% did not observe any changes. Total sleep quality showed a statistically significant worsening (p<0.0001) during the pandemic period compared to the same period before Covid-19 (p<0.0001), in all sleep components (subjective sleep quality, latency of sleep, sleep time, use of sleep medication, and overall PSQI score) worsened over the course of the pandemic. The amount of social networks used showed no statistically significant difference.

Conclusões

The results suggest a significant worsening in the general sleep status of medical students when evaluated before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may be related to social isolation and increased use of social networks.

Palavras -chave

Sleep-wake disorders; Social isolation; Student health; Sleep hygiene.