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Lookup NU author(s): Spyros Spyridonidis, Dhillon Lad, Harry Peters, Dr Lucy RobinsonORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Sleep Research Society.Insomnia is increasingly recognized as a public health concern; however, undergraduate university students remain relatively understudied. This study aimed to estimate the overall pooled prevalence of insomnia symptoms in this population to inform the need for targeted care. For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched five databases to identify papers published between January 1, 1993, and January 17, 2025, which investigated the prevalence or proportion of insomnia in undergraduate university students using validated measures. Studies with biased samples were excluded. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool. Data were synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on continent, screening instrument, field of study, and sampling method. The review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42025617914). The search yielded 2379 non-duplicate citations, of which 48 met the inclusion criteria, contributing 55 prevalence estimates based on data from 95938 students. The pooled prevalence of insomnia in undergraduate university students was 46.9% (95% CI=40.1% to 53.6%). Heterogeneity was high (I2 = 99.8%). Meta-regression indicated that rates varied by continent and screening instrument. Findings suggest that nearly half of undergraduate students experience insomnia symptoms, highlighting the need for university-level responses that combine universal sleep health promotion with targeted interventions. Further methodologically rigorous and culturally sensitive research is required to guide policy and practice.
Author(s): Spyridonidis S, Lad D, Peters H, Ellis J, Robinson LJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: SLEEP Advances
Year: 2025
Volume: 6
Issue: 4
Online publication date: 17/11/2025
Acceptance date: 09/11/2025
Date deposited: 08/01/2026
ISSN (electronic): 2632-5012
Publisher: Oxford University Press
URL: https://academic.oup.com/sleepadvances/article/6/4/zpaf083/8325209
DOI: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpaf083
Data Access Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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