Is Sleep Duration Associated With Depression and Anxiety? A Cross-Sectional Study on Medical Students in Iran

Background and Objective As the quantity of sleep can influence our mental health, this study examined the association of sleep duration with depression and anxiety in freshman students of Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences (NUMS). Methods This study was conducted on 471 freshman students who enrolled at NUMS in the academic years of 2019 and 2020. Data collection and evaluation of sleep duration, depression, and anxiety were done using the Persian versions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. The association between sleep duration with depression and anxiety was analyzed using the multinomial logistic regression models. Results The prevalence of inadequate and excessive sleep duration in the participants was 41.8% and 6.4%, respectively. More than 20% of the students reported depression (mild = 10.2%, moderate = 7.0%, and severe = 4.2%), and approximately one-third reported anxiety (mild = 20.6%, moderate = 7.9%, and severe = 3.4%). The analytical results showed that the odds of moderate and severe depression in individuals with inadequate sleep were three times higher compared to the individuals with adequate sleep (p < 0.05). Further, the odds of moderate anxiety in individuals with inadequate sleep was relatively three times higher compared to individuals with adequate sleep (p < 0.05). Conclusions Inadequate sleep predisposes students to mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Therefore, policymakers and educators should develop psychological interventions to prevent anxiety and depression in students and help students live a healthy lifestyle such as improving sleep.