Effect of an 8 Week Supervised Exercise Programme on Sleep Quality and Fatigue in Malaysian Medical Students

INTERVENTION: Intervention1: 8‐week supervised exercise programme: Participants allocated to the intervention group will undergo a 8 week supervised exercise programme conducted three times per week, with each session lasting 60 minutes. All exercise sessions will be supervised by a qualified exercise trainer to ensure participant safety, adherence to the exercise prescription, and correct exercise techniques. Each exercise session will consist of: ‐ Attendance and resting heart rate assessment: 5 minutes ‐ Warm‐up: 10 minutes of light dynamic stretching. ‐ Aerobic exercise: 25 minutes of treadmill walking, jogging, jog walk intervals or side stepping. ‐ Strength and functional exercise: 15 minutes of bodyweight squats, wall or incline push, step‐ups or plank. ‐ Cool‐down: 5 minutes of light walking followed by static stretching exercises. Outcome assessments are conducted at baseline, week four and week eight. Control Intervention1: Usual daily activities: Participants allocated to the control group will continue their usual daily activities for eight weeks and will not participate in the supervised exercise programme or initiate any new structured exercise programme during the study period. They will undergo the same outcome assessments as the intervention group at baseline, week four and week eight. CONDITION: PRIMARY OUTCOME: The exercise group will demonstrate improved PSQI scores compared to the control group from baseline to 8 weeks.Timepoint: ‐ Baseline Week 0 ; ‐ Week 8 post intervention SECONDARY OUTCOME: The exercise group will demonstrate improved physiological parameter result via Fitbit wearable device compared to the control group from baseline to 8 weeks.Timepoint: ‐ Baseline Week 0 ; ‐ Week 8 post intervention The exercise group will demonstrate improved MFI‐20 scores compared to the control group from baseline to 4 weeks.Timepoint: ‐ Baseline Week 0 ; ‐ Week 4 post light intensity phase The exercise group will demonstrate improved MFI‐20 scores compared to the control group from baseline to 8 weeks.Timepoint: ‐ Baseline Week 0 ; ‐ Week 8 post intervention The exercise group will demonstrate improved objective sleep parameter result via Fitbit wearable device such as sleep duration, sleep stages, wakefulness and movement compared to the control group from baseline to 4 weeks.Timepoint: ‐ Baseline Week 0 ; ‐ Week 4 post light intensity phase The exercise group will demonstrate improved objective sleep parameter result via Fitbit wearable device such as sleep duration, sleep stages, wakefulness and movement compared to the control group from baseline to 8 weeks.Timepoint: ‐ Baseline Week 0 ; ‐ Week 8 post intervention The exercise group will demonstrate improved physiological parameter result via Fitbit wearable device compared to the control group from baseline to 4 weeks.Timepoint: ‐ Baseline Week 0 ; ‐ Week 4 post light intensity phase The exercise group will demonstrate improved PSQI scores compared to the control group from baseline to 4 weeks.Timepoint: ‐ Baseline Week 0 ; ‐ Week 4 post light intensity phase ; INCLUSION CRITERIA: ‐ Malaysian nationality, currently enrolled in USM KLE MBBS programme. ‐ Self‐reported absence of diagnosed primary sleep disorders, e.g., insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and serious psychiatric illness. ‐ Baseline PSQI global score more than or equal to 6, indicating at least mild subjective sleep disturbance but not necessarily a clinical disorder, consistent with the original PSQI cut‐off for poor sleep. ‐ Sedentary or low active lifestyle not currently meeting ACSM guidelines of more than or equal to 150 minutes per week of moderate‐intensity aerobic activity. ‐ Able to safely participate according to the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire PAR‐QPlus. ‐ Owns a compatible smartphone for Fitbit synchronization or other comparable or better smartwatches ‐ Willing to attend at least 80 percent of supervised exercise sessions. ‐ Not currently participating in another structured