Perceived Sleep Quality and Fatigue in Young Adults: Dissociating Subjective Experience from Physical Performance
Awad M. Almuklass, Abdulaziz Ibrahim Alassaf, Fahad Khalid Almalik, Mohammed Majed Alshenaiber, Abdulelah Yousef Alhawas, Jerayed Khaled AljerayedAbstract
Background:
Fatigue is highly prevalent among university students, particularly those in demanding academic environments like medicine. Although poor sleep quality is often linked to reduced subjective energy, the relationship between perceived fatigue and objective physical performance remains unclear.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations among perceived sleep quality, perceived fatigue, and performance fatigability in healthy male medical students.
Methods:
This cross-sectional, observational study included 84 healthy male medical students (mean age, 21.37 ± 1.02 years) at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Participants completed the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). We measured handgrip strength and endurance using a calibrated dynamometer. Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlations were calculated based on variable normality.
Results:
Poorer sleep quality correlated with greater perceived fatigue (
Conclusion:
Although poor sleep correlated with higher perceived fatigue, neither sleep quality nor perceived fatigue was associated with physical performance. This highlights the need to distinguish perceived fatigue from objective physical fatigability when evaluating student well-being. Improving sleep quality may enhance subjective energy without necessarily altering physical capacity.