Longitudinal effects of sleep and chronobiological support on academic performance in medical students

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K10343
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 58010:Medical management and medical sociology-related
• Research Institution: University of Fukui
• Principal Investigator: Abe Hiroshi 福井大学, 学術研究院医学系部門, 教授 (80201896)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 医学教育 / 概日リズム / 睡眠 / 睡眠日誌 / スリープスコープ / 学業成績 / 高照度光療法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated the effects of bright light therapy on the sleep and circadian rhythms of second-year and later medical students, and examined the effects of long-term academic support based on sleep and chronobiological characteristics. As a result, in students with irregular sleep rhythms, bright light therapy did not change their sleep quality, but there was a tendency for sleep rhythms to improve. This suggests that continued student support and academic guidance based on sleep and circadian rhythms is important even in the second year and beyond.
We compared the sleep of first-year medical students before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, there was a tendency for students' sleep quality to decline after COVID-19, suggesting that appropriate sleep and circadian rhythm guidance is necessary even in remote classes.

Free Research Field

行動科学、時間生物学。医学教育学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年の医学教育では、国際標準に基づく教育改革により臨床実習期間が延長され、低中学年での基礎・臨床医学の専門科目カリキュラムが過密になったことから学生への負担が著しく増加している。そのため１~３年次での留年・退学やメンタルヘルスへのリスクが高くなっていることから、大学として組織的な学生支援や修学指導の強化が求められている。本研究成果は、睡眠など時間生物学的視点に基づく学年を超えた経年的・継続的な指導が、カリキュラム改革による医学科学生の抱える問題への対処方法になり得ると考えられる。