Postprandial Somnolence and its awareness among the Medical Undergraduate Students: A crosssectional study

Authors

  • Abhishek Chaturvedi Senior Grade Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal campus), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal-576104, Karnataka, India
  • Anitha Guru MAHE FAIMER International Institute for Leadership in Interprofessional Education (M-FIILIPE), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal-576104, Karnataka, India
  • Naveen Kumar Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal campus), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal-576104, Karnataka, India
  • Ling Yi Lin MBBS students, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal campus), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal-576104, Karnataka, India
  • Daniel YeapTze Wei MBBS students, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal campus), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal-576104, Karnataka, India
  • Lai Kah Sheng MBBS students, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal campus), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal-576104, Karnataka, India
  • Leow Hjun Yee MBBS students, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal campus), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal-576104, Karnataka, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v20i4.54141

Keywords:

Postprandial somnolence, Food coma, Heavy meals, Drowsiness, Students’ performance, Power nap

Abstract

Introduction: Postprandial somnolence or commonly referred to as food coma is generally experienced after the ingestion of afternoon meals. The performance of an individual gets affected after the ingestion of a heavy meal and this is more pertinent in a college setup where students have to attend a lecture right after the meal. The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of medical students about the factors responsible for postprandial somnolence, to identify the methods used to counteract it and to ascertain lecturers’ perception on responsiveness and participation of the students in a post lunch lecture.

Methods: Total 330 students (first year to third year MBBS students) aged between 18-21 years and 40 lecturers teaching first and second year MBBS students were involved in this study. Two separate questionnaires (Part A: students’ perception, and B: lecturers’ perception) were prepared, peer-reviewed, validated and administered to the respective participants. All the responses were compiled and expressed in frequency percentage. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 15.0 for a level of statistical significance of 5%. Pearson correlation was used to get the association between the variables.

Results: About 55.75% students were aware about the role of serotonin and melatonin in drowsiness but 45.75% students did not know that food rich in tryptophan relaxes the brain and results in sleepiness. Students agree that heaviness of their meal might cause drowsiness and indigestion or bloating, which can also result in lethargy and can affect their performance. Majority of the lecturers opined that students disturb the harmony of the class and are less responsive and participative in post lunch break lectures.

Conclusion: Thus, the present study provided scope for conducting awareness talks regarding the strategies to counteract postprandial somnolence among medical students which can help improve their concentration during post-lunch lectures.

Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.20(4) 2021 p.826-832

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Published

2021-06-18

How to Cite

Chaturvedi, A., Guru, A., Kumar, N., Lin, L. Y., Wei, D. Y., Sheng, L. K., & Yee, L. H. (2021). Postprandial Somnolence and its awareness among the Medical Undergraduate Students: A crosssectional study. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science, 20(4), 826–832. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v20i4.54141

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 4 (2021)

Section

Original Articles

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