Sleep Quality and Academic Performance among Postgraduate Students in Sri Lanka
TL;DR
Regular sleep, combined with the mental well-being influenced by a combination of stress, self-regulation, and context, is likely to be the primary driver of academic performance.
Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of sleep quality on perceived academic performance of postgraduate students in Sri Lanka. Postgraduate students often juggle complicated schedules of overload from of advanced studies, part-time jobs, family obligations, and self-initiated studies, creating a situation where sleep may be inadequate or disrupted and therefore may impact academic performance. A quantitative survey was performed on 385 postgraduate students covering postgraduate programs. Data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 29. Descriptive statistics, distributional diagnostics, internal consistency, Pearson and Spearman correlations, one-way Analysis of Variance, Tukey HSD, and Ordinary Least Squares regressions were applied. The average sleep quality was 2.21 (SD = 0.41) with lower scores representing better quality of sleep and average performance 3.19 (SD = 0.47). The disturbance of sleep scale was found to have limited internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .504), while the sleep performance beliefs scale showed good internal consistency (α = .965). There was a statistically significant weak negative correlation of sleep quality and perceived academic performance (Pearson’s r = − .122, p = .016; Spearman’s ρ = − .120, p = .018). The reported simple regression model was not significant (R² = .003, F(1, 383) = 1.27, p = .260), and there was no difference in the level of study and sleep quality (F(2, 382) = 2.557, p = .079). Sleep may be a relevant concern regarding postgraduate students’ academic performance; however, sleep should not be the only consideration. Regular sleep, combined with the mental well-being influenced by a combination of stress, self-regulation, and context, is likely to be the primary driver of academic performance. The study suggests postgraduate student support systems should include sleep awareness and sustainable study practices and encourages longitudinal research in Sri Lanka.