Exploring the Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in University Students

Rahat Ayub; Mehak Hamna Gillani; Fizza Masood; Muhammad Fasih

doi:10.61919/0afz2a43

Authors

Rahat Ayub Assistant Professor, University of Management & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan Author
Mehak Hamna Gillani Lecturer, University of Management & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan Author
Fizza Masood Assistant Professor, University of Management & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan Author
Muhammad Fasih Lecturer, University of Management & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61919/0afz2a43

Keywords:

Sleep Quality; Cardiovascular Risk Factors; University Students; Blood Pressure; Diet; Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors may begin to develop during young adulthood, when sleep habits, dietary behavior, stress exposure, and lifestyle patterns become established. Poor sleep quality has been linked with cardiometabolic risk, but evidence among university students remains limited. Objective: To assess the association between sleep quality and cardiovascular risk-factor domains among university students. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 235 university participants aged 18–26 years. Data were collected from April to June 2024 using a structured questionnaire, the Groningen Sleep Quality Scale, and a cardiovascular risk assessment questionnaire. Demographic characteristics, body mass index category, waist circumference category, sleep-quality responses, and cardiovascular risk domains were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. Frequencies and percentages were used for descriptive analysis, and Pearson correlation was used to assess relationships among nonconstant risk scores. Results: Most participants were female (63.4%) and aged 19–24 years (81.7%). Sleep-related complaints were frequent, including morning tiredness (64.3%), sleep latency longer than 30 minutes (61.3%), insufficient sleep (56.2%), nocturnal rising (53.2%), and sleep duration of five hours or less (51.5%). Sleep-related cardiovascular risk was categorized as medium in 64.3% and high in 11.9%. Sleep score showed weak correlations with lifestyle (r = -0.055, p = 0.404), blood pressure (r = 0.022, p = 0.739), and diet (r = 0.127, p = 0.051). The only statistically significant correlation was between blood-pressure and diet scores (r = 0.198, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Sleep disturbance was common among university students, but sleep score was not strongly associated with other cardiovascular risk domains. The findings support the need for larger studies using validated tools and adjusted analyses to clarify sleep-related cardiovascular risk in young adults

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