Objective:

To assess the existing evidence on university students' knowledge and implementation of sleep hygiene, and whether any of these aspects is related to sleep quality.

Design:

We conducted a literature review using the electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar. Initially, 62 papers were located, of which 12 remained in our study after a screening performed by two researchers. The inclusion criteria were: healthy university students (male and female) as study subjects, measures of sleep quality and sleep hygiene, and assessment of the relationship between them.

Results:

Knowledge of sleep hygiene was not associated with its use (b= 0.04; 95%CI -0.03 to 0.11). However, the use of sleep hygiene was associated with better sleep quality (R2 =0.23; F(1.121)= 36.67; p<0.001). Not all components of sleep hygiene were equally influential on sleep quality. Inappropriate sleep schedules (β=0.27; p<0.001; sr2=0.27) as well as an uncomfortable bedroom environment (β=0.14; p=0.001; sr2=0.13) were related to poorer sleep quality.

Conclusions:

The implementation of sleep hygiene, rather than knowledge of it, is related to better sleep quality. The most influential components were maintaining appropriate sleep schedules and a comfortable environment in the bedroom.

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