What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to determine how common poor sleep quality is among female university students and its relationship with dysmenorrhea and related functional issues.

February 16, 2026Open Access

Prevalence of Poor Sleep Quality and Its Association with Dysmenorrhea Among Female Undergraduate Students at a Health Sciences University in the UAE

Key Points

The aim is to determine how common poor sleep quality is among female university students and its relationship with dysmenorrhea and related functional issues.
Conducted a cross-sectional study with female undergraduate students at a health sciences university.
Measured sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and perceived stress with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10).
Assessed dysmenorrhea severity on a visual analog scale and defined functional impairment as disruption in life domains.
Employed multivariable logistic regression to analyze data after controlling for confounders.
68.9% of participants reported poor sleep quality; 48.8% experienced severe dysmenorrhea.
Moderate sleep issues were linked to a twofold increase in severe dysmenorrhea risk.
Severe sleep problems increased this risk nearly four times.
Severe dysmenorrhea was highly predictive of menstrual-related functional impairment.
Poor sleep quality remained significantly associated with functional impairment.

Abstract

Background: Poor sleep quality is common among university students and may contribute to adverse reproductive health outcomes, including dysmenorrhea. However, limited evidence exists on whether chronic sleep disturbance independently predicts dysmenorrhea severity or menstrual-related functional impairment after accounting for key confounders. Objectives: We aimed to determine the prevalence of poor sleep quality among female university students and to examine its association with (1) severe dysmenorrhea and (2) menstrual-related functional impairment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among female undergraduate students at Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University (United Arab Emirates). Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Dysmenorrhea severity was assessed using a 0–10 visual analog scale; functional impairment was defined as moderate/severe disruption in ≥1 life domain. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for the association between sleep quality and menstrual outcomes after controlling for age, BMI, socioeconomic status, and stress. A component-level analysis examined independent effects of PSQI dimensions. Results: Of the 254 participants, 68.9% reported poor sleep quality and 48.8% reported severe dysmenorrhea. In adjusted models, moderate sleep problems (aOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.09–3.67, p = 0.024) and severe sleep problems (aOR = 3.63, 95% CI: 1.45–9.06, p = 0.006) were significantly associated with severe dysmenorrhea. Severe dysmenorrhea strongly predicted menstrual-related functional impairment (aOR = 4.81, 95% CI: 2.63–8.77, p < 0.001). Poor sleep quality remained independently associated with functional impairment (aOR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.05–3.65, p = 0.035). In component analysis, sleep disturbance (PSQI Component 5) was the only independent predictor of severe dysmenorrhea (aOR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.31–3.41, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Poor sleep quality, particularly sleep disturbance, is associated with increased odds of severe dysmenorrhea and menstrual-related functional impairment in female university students. Sleep fragmentation may represent a key mechanistic and modifiable contributor to menstrual pain severity. Integrating sleep assessment into dysmenorrhea management and evaluating sleep-focused interventions in longitudinal and interventional studies are warranted.

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