09 May Screen time and sleep
With the increased accessibility and convenience of smart devices at our literal fingertips, it has been increasing difficult to put our phones down before going to bed. Over the last decade alone, with more smart devices than ever before being launched into the market, it has made it more difficult to create a boundary with our devices and our sleep.
Whether it is using our phone in the dark while in bed, having increased screen time throughout the day, having our phone near us while in bed or having notifications while attempting to sleep, all of these bad habits lead to more disturbed sleep and worse health-related quality of life (Mireku et al., 2019). Interestingly, using our phone in the dark as opposed to a lit environment had a greater impact on sleep quality. When using smart devices in a dark room, due to our dilated pupils, it is possible for more blue light to pass through thus keeping us stimulated and making it difficult to disengage and prepare for sleep. Prolonged screen time prior to bedtime has also been linked to a rise in insomniac symptoms.
Furthermore, due to the delayed release of melatonin, a naturally produced hormone which helps regulate our sleep cycle and assists in getting our body to sleep, we tend to find it more difficult to fall asleep. This results in less restful sleep, changes to our circadian rhythm, shortened sleep time and thereby poor sleep cycling leading to increased daytime sleepiness the next day as well as decreased health-related quality of life and increased risk of obesity (Foerster et al., 2019).
So how do we counter this? Improving sleep hyenine is certainly important as well as improving lifestyle, diet and exercise. In one particular study (Chahal et al., 2012), it was found that limiting the use and access to smart devices and reducing night-time use can be used to promote better quality of sleep as well as reducing the risk of obesity. Consistency is also important, going to bed at the same time each night, including weekends and waking up at the same helps regulate our internal drive to sleep and allows for better overall sleep quality as per the CDC (“Tips for Better Sleep”,2010).
To read more about the impacts of screen time on sleep, check out the links below.
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, July 15). CDC – sleep hygiene tips – sleep and sleep disorders. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html
Chahal, H., Fung, C., Kuhle, S., & Veugelers, P. J. (2012). Availability and night-time use of electronic entertainment and communication devices are associated with short sleep duration and obesity among Canadian children. Pediatric Obesity, 8(1), 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00085.x
Foerster, M., Henneke, A., Chetty-Mhlanga, S., & Röösli, M. (2019). Impact of adolescents’ screen time and nocturnal mobile phone-related awakenings on sleep and general health symptoms: A prospective cohort study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(3), 518. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030518
Mireku, M. O., Barker, M. M., Mutz, J., Dumontheil, I., Thomas, M. S. C., Röösli, M., Elliott, P., & Toledano, M. B. (2019). Night-time screen-based Media Device use and adolescents’ sleep and health-related quality of life. Environment International, 124, 66–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.11.069