The Relationship of Sleep Quality with Body Mass Index in Male College Students with and without Regular Exercise

Background: Poor Sleep Quality (SQ) may lead to health problems through an increase in body weight and adipose tissue. Physical activity and or exercise are effective factors in SQ and obesity. Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the relationship of SQ with Body Mass Index (BMI)  in male college students with and without regular exercise. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 100 male college students with and without regular exercise were selected using a purposive and convenience sampling method and divided into two groups of active with normal weight (n=50, BMI=21.9±1.2 kg/m2) and inactive with overweight (n=50, BMI=28.3±5.2 kg/m2) groups. The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire was used to measure SQ, where a total score of more than 5 indicates a poor SQ. The data were analyzed using Spearman correlation and Mann-Whitney U tests. Resuls: Sixty percent of the students had a poor SQ. The mean score of SQ in the active group was significantly lower than in the inactive group (P<0.001). Moreover, the results showed a significant correlation between the SQ and BMI in overall (P<0.001) and in the inactive group (P=0.043), but not in the active group. Conclusion: Exercise is an effective factor for improving the SQ. Therefore, physical activity/exercise is recommended as a non-pharmacological therapy to improve SQ in overweight young men.