Relationship between Alexithymia and Sleep Quality in University Students

Sleep quality is a significant issue for university students because of its impacts on academic performance. It is worth noting that the relationship between alexithymia and sleep quality should be studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between alexithymia and sleep quality in university students. The present study was conducted with 1192 university students. Participants were evaluated using the sociodemographic data form, Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20) and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).The obtained data were subjected to statistical analysis. The study included 1192 participants. Of the participants 54% were women. The average age was 21.94±3.31 years. The participants were separated into two groups such as "good sleep quality" and "poor sleep quality," according to their PSQI scores. A statistical difference was found between two groups in terms of TAS-20 with a total of, Difficulty Identifying Feelings, Difficulty Describing Feelings, and Externally-Oriented Thinking. A statistically significant and positive correlation was found between the PQSI and Body Mass Index (BMI), as well as TAS-20 total score. BMI and TAS-20 were revealed to be significant predictors of poor sleep quality. The present study reveals that alexithymia and sleep quality may be related. It is important for future studies to focus on the factors that mediate this relationship.