Academic stress and sleep quality in university students in two latin american countries

In university students, sleep disturbances are a frequent issue, and academic stress often manifests as a response to the demands of academic activities both in and out of the classroom, which can lead to physical and mental health problems. Despite this, research on these conditions in the Latin American context and in some academic programs remains limited. The aim of this study was to describe academic stress and sleep quality in health and physical education/sports students in two Latin American countries, as well as their relationship with sociodemographic variables. An observational-descriptive study was conducted with 902 university students from Mexico and Colombia, who completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the SISCO Academic Stress Questionnaire. Frequency and percentage tables were constructed for analysis, and numerical variables were presented as means with standard deviation. Bivariate analysis was performed using Pearson s Chi-square and Fisher s exact tests, and mean comparisons were conducted using Student s T-test and ANOVA. In Colombian students, 70.00% reported sleep problems and 62.23% reported moderate to severe symptoms of stress, while in Mexico, the figures were 61.73% and 48.23%, respectively. The results indicate that university students often experience poor sleep quality and academic stress, which varies by country and is related to characteristics such as gender, presence of illnesses, and academic program.