Abstract
Background: Smartphone addiction has become increasingly common among university students and has been associated with various health problems, particularly sleep disturbances. Prolonged sleep latency is a major indicator of poor sleep quality and is closely linked to insomnia. Excessive smartphone use, especially at bedtime, may delay sleep onset and negatively affect academic performance and overall well-being.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and sleep latency among university students at People’s University of Medical and Health Sciences (PUMHS), Nawabshah.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 allied health students selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisting of demographic information, sleep latency measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) sleep latency component, and smartphone addiction assessed using the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Chi-square test was applied to determine associations.
Results: The findings revealed a significant association between smartphone addiction and sleep latency (χ² = 10.855, df = 3, p = 0.013). Students with higher levels of smartphone addiction were more likely to experience moderate to severe difficulty in initiating sleep. A large proportion of participants reported delayed sleep onset and frequent nighttime smartphone use, indicating a negative impact on sleep quality.
Conclusion: The study concludes that smartphone addiction is significantly associated with increased sleep latency among university students. Excessive and uncontrolled smartphone use, particularly before bedtime, contributes to delayed sleep onset and poor sleep quality.