Objective: This study aimed to analyze quality of life and excessive daytime sleepiness of medical students and to correlate it with possible conditioning factors such as gender, habits and year of attendance at the Medical School.

Methods: The study was cross-sectional, using self-administered questionnaires to all medical students. Questionnaires included sample profile, the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL-bref) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). 1.3. Results: The sample covered 266 students, 62% of which were female. Excessive daytime sleepiness according to the ESS was found in 66% of the sample. An inverse correlation of sleepiness and quality of life was found (r=-0.338; p<0.001). Sleepiness was greater among women (p=0.011), but had no correlation to the year of attendance of the students. No differences were found in WHOQOL-bref total score regarding gender or year of attendance. Students with healthier habits, more specifically with regular physical activity and without regular use of alcohol had higher scores on WHOQOL-bref total score (p<0.001 and 0.015, respectively).

Conclusion: Excessive daytime sleepiness was present in a considerable part of the medical students, especially amongst women. Healthier habits and regular physical activity were associated with greater quality of life. Future studies, prospectively collecting information, could bring greater reliability concerning the impact of the course would on quality of life and sleepiness, with special emphasis on gender differences.