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Abstract
Background: Sleep disorders
are highly prevalent among
healthcare professionals and
are linked to occupational
stressors, irregular work
hours, and poor lifestyle
habits. Understanding sleep
quality and its risk factors
in primary healthcare physicians
is critical for improving
physician well-being and patient
care quality.
Objectives:
To assess the prevalence of
poor sleep hygiene and excessive
daytime sleepiness among primary
healthcare physicians in Tabuk
City, Saudi Arabia, and to
identify associated demographic,
occupational, and behavioral
risk factors.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was
conducted in 2024 among 146
primary healthcare physicians
in Tabuk using a structured
online questionnaire. Data
were collected on sociodemographic
and occupational characteristics,
the Epworth Sleepiness Scale
(ESS) for daytime sleepiness,
and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality
Index (PSQI) for sleep hygiene.
Descriptive statistics, Chi-square
tests, and Fisher’s exact
tests were performed using
SPSS version 28. A p-value
< 0.05 was considered statistically
significant.
Results:
A total of 59.6% of physicians
were classified as poor sleepers
(PSQI score >7), and 93.8%
reported some level of excessive
daytime sleepiness. Moderate
to severe sleepiness was significantly
more common among poor sleepers
(p = 0.001). Significant risk
factors for poor sleep hygiene
included age 26–45 years
(p = 0.001), working more
than 40 hours/week (p = 0.001),
smoking (p = 0.028), night
shifts (p = 0.001), staying
awake more than 19 hours (p
= 0.004), sleeping less than
6 hours in 24 hours (p = 0.031),
and lack of sufficient rest
breaks and consecutive days
off (p < 0.05). Marital
status and total rest time
per day were not significantly
associated with sleep hygiene.
Conclusion:
Poor sleep hygiene and daytime
sleepiness are prevalent among
primary healthcare physicians
in Tabuk. These outcomes are
strongly influenced by modifiable
work-related factors. Institutional
interventions, such as optimizing
shift schedules, ensuring
adequate rest, and promoting
sleep health are urgently
needed to safeguard physician
well-being and healthcare
quality.
Keywords
Sleep hygiene, Daytime sleepiness,
Primary healthcare physicians,
Saudi Arabia
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