Promoting a Smartphone-free bedroom environment to enhance sleep quality among University students: A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia

Objective: This study investigates the impact of smartphone usage habits on sleep quality among undergraduate students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May 2023 at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire included three sections: demographic characteristics, smartphone usage habits, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for assessing sleep quality. Descriptive analysis and inferential tests were utilized. Results: Among 1,153 participants, the average PSQI score of 8.19, indicating poor sleep quality. Nearly three-quarters (73.46%) of participants used smartphones for over six hours daily. Regression analysis revealed three significant predictors of poor sleep: smartphone use in the evening, waking up frequently to check phones, and spending 1-2 hours on a smartphone at bedtime. Smartphone use for two hours or more before bedtime was linked to prolonged sleep latency (31.21%), frequent sleep disturbances (16.67%), increased reliance on sleep medications (4.96%), and notable daytime dysfunction (4.96%). Waking up twice or more to check smartphones had the strongest association with poor sleep quality. Conclusion: High smartphone use is a risk factor for poor sleep quality among university students. Promoting a smartphone-free bedroom environment is suggested as an effective strategy to enhance sleep hygiene and reduce frequent sleep interruptions. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.5.10755 How to cite this: Almalki M, Mohamed MA, Alzahrani AM. Promoting a Smartphone-free bedroom environment to enhance sleep quality among University students: A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia. Pak J Med Sci. 2025;41(5):1410-1416. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.5.10755 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.