Effects of short-term melatonin supplementation on sleep quality in college students with high frequency of screen-based sedentary behaviour: a two-stage study

Objective This study aims to further clarify the association between Screen-Based Sedentary Behavior (SSB) and sleep quality, and to explore the effects of short-term melatonin supplementation on the sleep quality of college students with high-frequency screen-based sedentary behavior. Methods The study is divided into two phases. Phase one is a cross-sectional study involving 104 college students, where we assessed the relationship between SSB and sleep quality in college students, as well as the differences in sleep quality among students with varying frequencies of SSB. In phase two, 40 participants were recruited from those screened in phase one to participate in a melatonin intervention experiment, utilizing a 2x2 factorial experimental design: melatonin with high-frequency SSB (HM, n = 10), placebo with high-frequency SSB (HP, n = 10), melatonin with low-frequency SSB (LM, n = 10), and placebo with low-frequency SSB (LP, n = 10). Measurement indicators included PSQI scores, sleep duration, bedtime, wake-up time, sleep latency, and sleep efficiency to evaluate improvements in sleep quality after melatonin/placebo interventions. Results Phase one results indicated a significant correlation between SSB and PSQI scores (r = 0.845, P < 0.01), sleep duration (r=-0.66, P < 0.01), bedtime (r = 0.76, P < 0.01), and sleep efficiency (r = 0.734, P < 0.01). There was a significant difference in sleep quality between the low-frequency and high-frequency groups (P < 0.001). In phase two, after melatonin/placebo intervention, the HM group showed significant improvements in PSQI scores, sleep duration, bedtime, sleep latency, and sleep efficiency (P < 0.01). Additionally, there were no significant differences in sleep quality and related variables among the HM, LM, and LP groups post-intervention. Conclusions There is a significant correlation between SSB and sleep quality, with higher SSB associated with poorer sleep quality. The sleep quality of college students with high-frequency SSB can be significantly improved through short-term melatonin supplementation, indicating a potential beneficial intervention effect of melatonin in this population.