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. 2025 Aug 18;13(1):932.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03303-w.

To explore the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality of college students based on the mediating effect of stress and subjective well-being

Jinling Yin  1 , Xiaolei Cheng  2 , Zhenxiu Yi  3 , Liping Deng  4 , Yang Liu  5
Affiliations

To explore the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality of college students based on the mediating effect of stress and subjective well-being

Jinling Yin et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Promoting the physical and mental health of college students is an inevitable requirement of the global health perspective. Given the close relationship between physical activity, sleep, and mental health, this study explores the mediating role of mental health in the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 4,706 college students, who self-reported their levels of physical activity, stress, subjective well-being, and sleep quality. The results showed that physical activity significantly and positively predicted sleep quality (β = 0.106, SE = 0.016, p < 0.001), and this positive predictive effect remained significant after the inclusion of mediating variables (β = 0.072, SE = 0.013, p < 0.001). Stress and subjective well-being acted as mediating factors between physical activity and sleep quality, forming a chain mediation effect. This study reveals the multiple benefits of physical activity for the development of college students and suggests that society, schools, families, and individuals should actively explore ways and means to engage in physical activity and exercise regularly. Future research is recommended to investigate the longitudinal changes in mental health between physical activity and sleep quality.

Keywords: College students; Mental health; Physical activity; Sleep quality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Biomedicine Ethics Committee of Jishou University before the initiation of the project (Grant number: JSDX-2024-0086). Informed consent was obtained from the participants before the start of the program. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Research model diagram
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mediation model diagram Note: ***: p < 0.001
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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