21 Jun Sleep disorder or Smartphone Disorder?
When I read this headline, I just had to stop and read what it was all about. This article was written as an editor message in the most recent issue of the Sleep Review magazine.
The article talks about how some of the sleep technicians may identify, via video monitor, during the lab sleep studies; patients playing with their smartphones, when they should be trying to sleep. The sleep tech Tracy Koop, RPSGT, CCSH says that they have witnessed firsthand why some patients who experience repeated arousals are not ultimately diagnosed with a sleep disorder. She mentions: “We have seen patients routinely wake up countless times throughout the night to check their smartphones out of habit, stating that they do not remember this the next day or realize how it is creating the excessive daytime sleepiness they are experiencing”.
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) may not only be due to sleep disorders, so we should be more aware about the time that we spent on mobile devices. Sree Roy, Chief Editor of this magazine, cited in her article that the average time US consumers spend on mobile devices was 300 min or 5 hours per day.
With this in mind, we need to be mindful of our technology, in this case, mobile phones may be bringing more bad than good into our lifestyle. This high phone usage, before and during bedtime, does more than just affect sleep patterns. Some studies have found an association between high phone usage and symptoms of insomnia, headaches, concentration difficulties, and depression.
Reference
ROY Sree. Sleep Disorder, or Smartphone Disorder?. Editor’s message. Sleep review magazine. Volume 19. Number 4. May 2018. Available online: http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/