Associations between sleep and lifestyle in Australian nursing students: A cross-sectional study

Background: Nursing students are at risk of inadequate sleep and poor lifestyle behaviours due to academic, clinical and personal stressors faced throughout their training. However, the relationship between lifestyle and sleep in this population is not well understood. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether inadequate sleep was associated with poor diet, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and smoking in nursing students. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, nursing students (n=470) completed an online questionnaire that assessed sleep and lifestyle behaviours. One-way ANOVA, t-tests, Pearson’s bivariate correlation and multiple regression testing were used to determine relationships between variables. Findings: Most nursing students experienced inadequate sleep (78%). Patterns of irregular eating, increased intake of discretionary foods, high risk alcohol consumption and smoking were associated with indicators of inadequate sleep (p<0.05). Frequent lunch intake (4-7 times per week) was associated with lower global sleep quality scores than irregular lunch intake (β: -1.060, 95% confidence interval -2.022, -0.099), whereas alcohol score was associated with higher global sleep quality scores (β: 0.088, 95% confidence interval 0.011, 0.165) indicating poorer quality sleep, even after adjusting for confounding variables. No significant associations were found between sleep parameters and level of physical activity. Conclusion: This study highlights that nursing students experience inadequate sleep, and that poor lifestyle behaviours are associated with inadequate sleep in this sample. Strategies are needed to address inadequate sleep and poor lifestyle behaviours in nursing students, to support health, academic and clinic performance, as well as the transition to professional nursing practice.