Relationship of Sleep Quality and Resting Heart Rate with Academic Performance among Preclinical Medical Students at Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria

Background: Sleep plays a vital role in cognitive function, emotional regulation, and cardiovascular health. Medical students are vulnerable to poor sleep quality, which may adversely affect their academic performance. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between sleep quality and resting heart rate with academic performance among medical students at Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study design was used to consecutively recruit 100 preclinical medical students. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality, while academic performance was assessed using the Grade Point Average (GPA). Resting heart rate was measured using a validated digital heart rate monitor. Data were analyzed using an independent samples t-test, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Mean age of the participants was 23.88 ± 2.61 years (18-30 years). Thirty-six percent of participants had poor sleep quality. Participants with good sleep quality demonstrated significantly lower resting heart rate (p = 0.016) and higher GPA (p = 0.003) compared to those with poor sleep quality. Sleep duration (p = 0.004) and sleep efficiency (p = 0.002) were positively correlated with GPA, while resting heart rate was negatively correlated with GPA (p = 0.010). However, neither sleep indices nor resting heart rate predicted GPA after controlling for age, sex, and level of study. Conclusions: While good sleep quality and lower resting heart rate were associated with better GPA on bivariate analysis, neither independently predicted GPA on multivariate regression, highlighting the multifactorial nature of academic performance.