BACKGROUND:

Contemporary lifestyles trigger changes in the sleep quality in youngsters causing effects on mental health, lifestyles and quality of life.

AIM:

To investigate health, lifestyles and quality of life indicators associated with sleep quality in university students.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

The Sleep Self-Report (SSR), screen time, The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ) and the SF-36 survey about health-related quality of life were responded by 621 university students through an online platform. In addition, sociodemographic variables, health status and lifestyles were evaluated.

RESULTS:

University students with poor sleep quality reported being significatively more sedentary, having less physical activity, and having a lower quality of life. Additionally, university students who consumed alcohol three or more times per week (Odds ratio (OR)= 6.2), spent more than six hours per day sitting (OR = 1.9), slept less than 6 hours per day (OR = 2.2), had more body pain (OR = 2.8) and had less social function (OR = 1.8) were more likely to have a poor quality of sleep.

Conclusions:

Quality of life and lifestyles risk factors such as drinking alcohol three or more times per week, having sedentary behaviors for more than six hours per day, having less than six hours of sleep per day, suffering high levels of body pain and low social function are associated with poor sleep quality in university students.