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| Screen Time and Sleep Loss |
- A recent research out of Norway indicates that if you use your phone or tablet for an hour before bed, you're 24 minutes less likely to sleep well and your chance of insomnia is 59% greater.
- The results show that using social media does not impede sleep any more than watching television, movies, or reading on a mobile device.
- Blue light's potential detrimental impacts on sleep quality are debatable, although most would agree that any kind of bright light exposure in the hours leading up to bedtime may be problematic.
Approximately one-third of American adults, or 84 million people, rate the
quality of their sleep as "fair" or "poor," according to the Casper-Gallup State
of Sleep in America survey. The corresponding figure for young adults is 38%.
More worryingly, just 35% of Americans were likely to get the minimum amount of
sleep suggested each night.
Spending time on a mobile device before bed may lead to worse quality sleep and
not getting enough sleep, according to a recent Norwegian research.
There are
many other variables that impact the amount and quality of sleep.
The results demonstrate that staying in front of a screen for an additional hour
increases the risk of insomnia by 59% and reduces the length of sleep by 24
minutes.
Researchers looked examined the relationship between various forms of screen
time and sleep quality in a sample of 45,202 young people (aged 18–28). The
complete findings were published in Frontiers in Psychiatry on March 31.
Portostation was informed by senior author Børg Sivertsen, PhD, a researcher at
the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, that "our findings challenge this
notion," despite prior studies indicating that social media usage is especially
harmful to sleep.
Media consumption (movies, TV shows, games, music, podcasts, and books) was one
of the many activities monitored in the research. According to Sivertsen, future
studies will look at the use of phones for work-related tasks just before going
to bed.
Is blue light a disruptor to sleep?
The hormone melatonin is involved in promoting and maintaining sleep, however there is evidence that exposing oneself to blue light before bedtime disrupts this process (Trusted Source). This led some phone makers to include blue-light filtering capabilities, which are useful for usage in the evenings.
Daytime exposure to blue-wavelength light has many benefits, including enhancing focus, elevating mood, and decreasing response times.
Having said that, not all studies back the claims that blue light disrupts sleep.
New research Using 16 volunteers, Trusted Source measured the effects of blue-to-yellow light exposure on sleep quality one hour before bed. Scientists couldn't discern any discernible variation in the colors. Their research suggests that strong light of any hue could be a sleep disruptor.
Blue light continued to worry clinical psychologist Leah Kaylor, PhD, MSCP, who is writing a book on sleep that will be available soon. But she did elaborate on why, in general, light isn't good for sleep. The research did not include Dr. Kaylor.
"Our neural circuitry is actually quite similar to that of our caveman ancestors, whose lives and activities were dictated by the sun. "Since our brains still use the same circuitry, being in bright light just before bed can easily throw it off."
Light, however, does not affect all people equally.
"It is important to acknowledge that we inter-individually differ considerably in how light is able to suppress melatonin — about 50-fold," said Jonathan Cedernaes, PhD, a sleep specialist at Uppsala Universitet, Sweden. The research did not include Cedernaes.
Consequences on health from little sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential for optimal health. Negative effects on almost every major bodily system are associated with insufficient sleep, including the:- neurological system
- the respiratory system, the digestive system, and the immunological system
- circulatory system hormonal system
- A significant risk factor is chronic sleep deprivation.
- Verified Resource for High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Obesity, Depression, and Cardiovascular Diseases.
The effects of social media usage before bed on sleep quality
According to Sivertsen, research shows that students who spend all of their time on social media have less insomnia and get more sleep than those who utilize a combination of screen time.
Because social media may promote sleep-protective interactions, his research suggests it may not have as big of an impact as other pursuits.Teens and younger children who use screens of any type tend to have trouble sleeping, according to a 2019 research. Things like e-reading, gaming, social networking, and watching TV or movies fall under this category.
Social contacts are more stimulating for adolescents and harder to detach from before sleep, according to Sivertsen's speculation, since they are more emotionally and socially reactive. Their sleep routine might be further disrupted if they use social media screens late at night, as they generally have a delayed sleep phase.
Even when kids didn't use them, having access to media devices in the bedroom led to worse sleep, according to a meta-study of 125,000 children (Cedernaes, 2018).
There is still a powerful attraction from social media for young people in college: Nearly all members of Generation Z(93%) said they stayed up late to use social media.
Since gaming has been associated to more severe sleep disturbance in other studies, Kaylor was surprised by the Norwegian study's result on social media activities and worried that it was not monitored more thoroughly.
According to Kaylor, more study is necessary to provide solid evidence that using social media before bedtime really promotes sleep. "Overall," she said, "I find the data fascinating but not robust. That assertion is far-fetched.
Cedernaes argued that there are several potential confounding variables that make it difficult to disentangle the impact of social media on sleep problems.
One of them is how someone feels about their own social media presence. For example, is it calming or tense for them? Is their inability to sleep a contributing factor in their reliance on phones? Does using a screen help them relax after a long day?
Suggestions for improving your sleep hygiene
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| improve the quality of your sleep |
- Put down the phone or tablet at least an hour before you hit the hay. Do something relaxing that won't get your heart racing throughout that screen time. Think about listening to audiobooks or music.
- Just activate your phone's nighttime blue-light filter to be sure blue light won't harm you. It is known as Night Shift on Apple devices. Some Android smartphones may refer to it as Night Light, while others may name it Blue Light filter or Eye Comfort Shield.
- Turn off all alerts while you're sleeping. Turn on your phone's "Do Not Disturb" feature. To avoid any potential disruptions to your sleep, turn off the phone and charge it in a separate room. In the event that your device's screen light is activated while you're sleeping, this will further shield you from any unwanted light.
- Establish and adhere to regular wake-up and bedtime times if at all feasible. As a result of internal learning, your circadian rhythm may be better able to accommodate your sleep requirements.
