Comparison of Sleep Quality in Active and Inactive Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran

Background: Sleep quality is one of the factors affecting the health and performance of students. The current study aimed to compare sleep quality between active and inactive students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 386 students (182 females; 144 males) studying in the Persian Gulf University voluntarily participated for 2 months in 2020. We used the Petersburg Sleep Questionnaire (electronically through university emails) to collect data. Results: Female students scored lower than male students in sleep duration (P = 0.002). Physically active students scored lower than physically inactive students in sleep quality (P = 0.003), sleep disturbances (P = 0.015), and daytime dysfunction (P = 0.005). Physically active female students obtained significantly lower scores in sleep quality (P = 0.002) and daytime dysfunction (P = 0.003) than physically inactive female students. Also, physically active male students obtained significantly lower scores than inactive male students on the subscales of sleep disturbances (P = 0.005) and the use of sleeping medication (P = 0.021). Conclusions: Physical activity can play an important role in improving the sleep quality of students, and it should be emphasized during the restrictions imposed by epidemics.