Authors : Amal Seraj Almalki, Hanin Khaild Karkashanl, Wedad Mahmoud Bardisi, Naeema Akbar
DOI : 10.18231/j.jchm.2019.025
Volume : 6
Issue : 4
Year : 2019
Page No : 119-126
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the independent association of bed time use of social media among elementary school teachers and disturbed sleep while controlling for potential covariates.
Materials and Methods: Hundred eighty-three male and 223 female teachers from Jeddah governmental schools participated in the present cross-sectional study. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess teachers’ quality of sleep. The independent t- test and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the linkage between sleep quality and participants characteristics, including demographics, health related behavioral characteristics, teaching related activities, associated health problems, as well as bed time use of social media. Multiple Enter linear regression analysis was performed to identify variables with higher predictive power of sleep quality.
Results: Mean ± SD age of the sampled teachers was 39.87 ± 6.08. The PSQI indicated poor sleep quality (global score, mean ± SD was 8.0±3.91). Positive association was found between poor sleep and both frequency and volume of near bed time usage of social media. Regression model showed that in addition to social media use, having comorbid condition or consumption of caffeine containing drinks strongly predicted bad sleep (p<.05). Considering the fact that that this is a cross-sectional study design whose subjects are of middle-age group, it is probable that teachers are using social media as a means of coping with their sleeping problems rather than that social media use is disturbing their sleep.
Conclusions: The overuse of social media, having comorbid condition, and consumption of drinks containing caffeine near bed time are predictors of poor sleep, and may, as such, undermine work performance, in addition to both social and family life.
Keywords: Saudi Arabia, Social media, Sleep quality, Co-morbidities, Teachers.