2025, Vol. 7, Issue 1, Part A

Humans are inherently social beings, and the concept of human needs originates from our biological nature, encompassing both mental and physical aspects. To maintain physical health, we require fundamental necessities such as food, clean water, shelter, sleep, physical activity, and others. Among these, sleep holds a pivotal role in overall well-being. Abraham Maslow identified sleep as a component of physiological needs in his hierarchy of five basic human needs. Sleep can generally be categorized as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Good sleep is characterized by a sense of restfulness and satisfaction, whereas poor sleep leads to feelings of dissatisfaction and fatigue.

Stress is defined as a dynamic interaction between an individual and their environment. Any disruption in this interaction can result in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes. During their education and training, nursing students are frequently exposed to various stressors, which may directly or indirectly hinder their academic performance and overall physical and mental well-being.

Elevated stress levels negatively affect sleep quality by prolonging the time it takes to fall asleep and causing sleep fragmentation. Poor sleep, in turn, exacerbates stress levels, creating a cyclical relationship. Even a single sleepless night can lead to a 30% increase in emotional stress levels, as sleep plays a crucial role in mood regulation and optimizing the functioning of the body and mind. Without adequate sleep, the body cannot effectively manage stress, further compromising health and well-being. With this in mind this study has undertaken to find correlation between sleep quality and level of stress.

1.To assess the quality of sleep among the nursing students by using Pittsburgh’s sleep quality index Scale.

2.To assess the level of stress among nursing students by using Perceived stress scale.

3.To find the correlation between level of stress and quality of sleep among the nursing students.

Methodology: A descriptive exploratory research design was employed for this study. A total of 60 nursing students from selected nursing colleges were randomly chosen for the study. Data collection was was done by using the tools of Pittsburgh’s sleep quality index Scale and Perceived stress scale. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant authorities and informed consent was secured from all participants prior to data collection to ensure compliance with ethical research standards.

Results: The analysis revealed that a weak positive correlation between sleep quality and stress levels among nursing students, with a correlation coefficient of r=0.32. This indicates a weak correlation suggesting that higher stress levels are associated with poorer sleep quality, and conversely, better sleep quality correlates with lower stress levels.

Conclusion: The findings of the study revealed that there is a weak correlation between the sleep quality and level of stress among nursing students.