Prevalence of Insomnia and Its Association with Social Media Usage among University Students in Selangor, Malaysia, 2018

Abstract

Insomnia is an arising common health problem in Malaysia. There are many factors contributed to insomnia in young adults but very few are known. Increasing usage of social media may be one of the contributing factors to insomnia along its association with the sociodemographic factors. The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of insomnia and to study its association with usage of social media and sociodemographic factors among university students. A cross-sectional based questionnaire was conducted among 445 students aged 18-30 years old in a private university in Selangor from July to August 2018. The questionnaire consisted of three parts to assess insomnia, social media usage and some socio-demographic factors. The age of the respondents ranged from 19 to 33 years old and the majority was relatable to insomnia (69%). The frequency of accessing social media was significantly associated with insomnia (p value=0.005). The time of the day of accessing social media mostly was significantly associated as well with insomnia, especially evening (p value=0.02), night time (p value=0.01) and before sleeping time (p value=0.04). The use of gadgets (phones/laptops/tablets) before sleeping at night also showed significant association with insomnia (p value=0.003). The sociodemographic factors (gender, age, race, income, relationship and living status) showed no significant association with insomnia. As a conclusion, the most influential factors that significantly associated to insomnia among students in a private university were the frequency of accessing social media, time of social media usage (the evening, night and before sleeping), and the usage of gadgets before sleeing on bed.

Prevalence of sleep disorders among university students and its impact on academic performance

“…This is close to the rate of 25% reported by the study conducted in Iraq (Piro et al, 2018). On the other hand, this is notably different to percentages reported in American and Asian cohorts at 12% and > 68%, respectively (Abdalqader et al, 2018;Gaultney, 2010;Sing & Wong, 2010). In contrast, other sleep disorders like OSA, affective disorders, and CRDs were much less frequently reported in the present study, with prevalence rates of 21.5%, 14.1%, and 9.1%, respectively.…”

“…In particular, insomnia, restless leg syndrome (RLS), circadian rhythm disorders (CRDs), affective disorders, narcolepsy, and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are frequently reported in college students (Gaultney, 2010;Haile et al, 2017;Piro et al, 2018). Previous studies have found the prevalence of insomnia to be approximately 69% among college students (Abdalqader et al, 2018;Sing & Wong, 2010). Other disorders, like CRDs (19.6%), affective disorders (14.5%), nightmares (6.6%), sleepwalking (5.7%), and narcolepsy (1.3%), are less frequently identified (Piro et al, 2018).…”

Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Constitutions and Psychological Determinants of Depression among University Students in Malaysia: A Pilot Study

“…These factors could affect the function of the liver, resulting in interruptions of qi and blood, which can lead to a variety of problems, including mood swings and depression [ 19 ]. Additionally, poor sleep quality and insomnia in university students [ 113 ] could influence the liver’s blood storing ability, thus affecting its dispersion and dredging function, which will then cause qi-stagnation [ 19 ]. Dysregulation of the liver qi is the main cause of depression, and is associated with the neuroendocrine system [ 114 ].…”

Problematic social media use and mental health (depression, anxiety, and insomnia) among Lebanese adults: Any mediating effect of stress?

“…27 The duration and frequency of SM use also provoked insomnia. 28 Inversely, a Lebanese study showed that university students that reported higher depression and anxiety scores, as well as poor sleeping patterns, were more likely to have a smartphone addiction. 29 Results also demonstrated a relation between less sleep and Internet gaming disorder within a Lebanese sample.…”