Night-Time Social Media Use and Sleep Quality Among Medical Students in a Nigerian Public University: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The increasing integration of social media into daily life has raised public health concerns regarding sleep health among young adults, particularly medical students exposed to academic demands. Excessive social media use at night may disrupt sleep, yet evidence from Nigerian medical schools remains limited. Objective: To determine the prevalence and association between night-time social media use and sleep quality among medical students at Rivers State University, Port Harcourt. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 381 undergraduate medical students selected through stratified random sampling across academic levels. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire incorporating the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and measures of social media use. Poor sleep quality was defined as a global PSQI score greater than five. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: The response rate was 100%. The mean age of respondents was 20.5 ± 2.3 years, and 65.1% were female. Social media use was universal at 99.2%, with WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok most commonly used. Over half of respondents were heavy users, spending more than four hours daily on social media. Overall, 48.3% of students had poor sleep quality. Heavy social media use was associated with delayed sleep onset, short sleep duration, insomnia, and severe daytime dysfunction. Conclusion: Excessive social media use is associated with impaired sleep quality among Nigerian medical students, highlighting the need for digital wellness and sleep hygiene interventions programmes.