Sleep quality as a determining factor of academic success in university students. Systematic literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep is considered as a complex process, while chronic sleep deprivation generates alterations in behavior, attention, memory and mood, due to irregular schedules and more intense academic load. Materials and Methods: The research was developed as an observational and integrative study with a quantitative approach and a retrospective cross-sectional analytical design. The search for information was carried out in April 2025 in scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and SciELO, using the descriptors DeSC/MeSH. After the exhaustive search, 18 useful articles were finally identified for this bibliographic review. Results: Students who had experienced at least one full night without sleep since entering college tended to have later sleep schedules with an evening chronotope and lower academic performance. Sleep patterns and academic performance where shown that students with more stable sleep habits achieve more superior scholastic performance. Discussion: Sleep quality is a construct that includes various parameters of sleep and functioning with the environment such as positive relationships, life purpose, autonomy, which in turn produces individual satisfaction. Daytime performance has an impact on personal perception, as well as satisfaction with one's own rest. Conclusions: Evidence supports that sleep quality is a determining factor in academic performance beyond nighttime sleep multiple dimensions are recognized such as sleep efficiency, circadian habits that directly affect higher cognitive functions necessary for learning, concentration and memory.