Influence of sleepiness, quantity, and quality of sleep on academic performance in adolescent students of a Colombian public institution
Dina Díaz, Emilia Gyr, Antonio M. Quispe, Luis AguilarBACKGROUND:
This study aimed to examine the relationship between sleep-related variables and academic performance in Spanish Language and Mathematics among adolescents from a Colombian public school.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted, which included 185 students (12–18 years, both sexes) from a Colombian public school. Two questionnaires were applied to obtain the data: the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Academic performance was measured using final and subject-specific grades in Spanish and Mathematics. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to explore associations between sleep variables and academic outcomes, adjusting for age and sex.
RESULTS:
Bivariate analyses revealed significant negative associations between sleepiness and key academic performance indicators, including final average grade, Spanish language average grade, and annual average grade. By contrast, no significant associations were observed between overall sleep quality and academic performance. When controlling for confounding variables in multivariate regression analyses including sleepiness, age, and sex showed that the previously observed associations between sleepiness and academic performance were attenuated and no longer statistically significant. These findings suggest that the effect of sleepiness on academic outcomes may be influenced by age, indicating increased somnolence among older adolescents.
CONCLUSION:
Daytime sleepiness, rather than subjective sleep quality, appears to negatively influence academic performance in adolescents, particularly in language-related outcomes. Interventions to reduce sleepiness may enhance educational achievement. Longitudinal studies using objective sleep measures are recommended to clarify causal pathways linking sleep, cognition, and learning.