How carrying your phone to bed messes up your sleep

An hour of in-bed screen time increases insomnia risk by nearly 60 per cent and lowers sleep duration by about a half hour, a new study has found.

The researchers from Norway also found that even just a small reduction in screen use at bedtime can lead to better sleep.

“We were particularly interested in whether social media — because of its interactive and potentially emotionally stimulating nature — would have a stronger association with poor sleep outcomes than other screen activities,” the study author  Børge Sivertsen, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Bergen, highlighted. 

“Surprisingly, we found that it’s the overall screen time in bed that matters most, not the type of activity,” he added while explaining that he and colleagues analysed survey responses from more than 45,000 adults ages 18 to 28. 

The participants were asked whether they used screens after going to bed, for how long, and for how many nights per week. 

The researchers identified the participants’ common screen activities: watching shows or movies, gaming, social media, surfing the internet, listening to audio such as podcasts, or reading.

The survey also asked when participants typically went to bed, when they got up in the morning, and how long it typically took them to fall asleep. Participants indicated how often they had trouble falling or staying asleep, how often they felt sleepy during the day, and how long their sleep problems persisted.

Insomnia, he noted, was defined as having trouble sleeping and experiencing daytime sleepiness issues at least three times a week for at least three months.

The results showed that a one-hour increase in screen time in bed was linked to a 59 per cent greater risk of insomnia and 24 fewer minutes of total sleep on average.

The researchers stressed that insomnia symptoms and reduced sleep duration were associated with an increased amount of screen use.

Dr Sivertsen added that the findings are limited in that they are observational, relying on pre-existing self-reported data from a narrow population (young adult Norwegians) that did not include scientific sleep measurements.

The Sleep Foundation on its official website agrees with the findings. 

“Tempting as it might be to use your computer or phone before bed, studies have shown these devices can interfere with sleep by suppressing the production of melatonin, a natural hormone released in the evening to help you feel tired and ready for sleep. This leads to neurophysiologic arousals that increase feelings of alertness when you should be winding down instead,” the Foundation explains while further highlighting that the biological clock in healthy adults follows a 24-hour sleep-wake cycle.

“When the sun rises in the morning, your body produces cortisol, a hormone that makes you feel awake and alert. As daylight fades, the body releases another hormone, melatonin, that produces feelings of sleepiness.”

The Foundation observes that electronic back-lit devices like cell phones, tablets, readers, and computers emit short-wavelength enriched light also known as blue light while fluorescent and LED lights also emit blue light, which has been shown to reduce or delay the natural production of melatonin in the evening and decrease feelings of sleepiness.

“Blue light can also reduce the amount of time you spend in slow-wave and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, two stages of the sleep cycle that are vital for cognitive functioning.”

In an interview with Healthy Nation, Mwende Kimweli, a sleep consultant, noted that many people have what she describes as ‘ bad manners’ of going with their phones to bed. 

“If you want to have quality sleep , avoid using your phones and even TV screens two hours before bed-time. Sleep is a personal thing and so you have to make a decision to be intentional about it,” she says, adding:  “To be able to sleep without your phone means you have to create a good sleep schedule and strictly adhere to it.”

She notes that the schedule should involve activities that help you decompress after a busy day and they include journaling, colouring, meditating, easy soft music of your choice or reading.

The expert points out that many people are struggling if not finding it almost impossible to sleep because they have bad sleeping schedules and have normalised bad habits.

“Some people eat very late and this may lead to a heartburn that causes discomfort, which in turn affects their sleep pattern. Make a decision to, for example, have dinner as early as 7.30pm.”

Ms Kimweli also highlights that menopausal women on many occasions find it almost impossible to sleep.

“This is because of the hot flashes they experience, which make them sweat a lot and so they need a very good sleep schedule, lots of exercises and diet although some of them might need supplements such as menopace tablets, which should be taken during the day. It takes a human being four days to recover from a weekend of missed sleep.

“For those who love carrying work home, what time do you stop doing this work?” She posed.

According to Ms Kimweli, snoring loudly is another indicator of poor sleeping habits. 

To stop snoring, she advises that one embarks on a proper sleep schedule, physical exercises and good eating habits.

For xcouples, she advises: “You should also sex timings with your partner because sexual intercourse is supposed to make you sleep better. If you embark on a strict sleep schedule and keep your phone away from your bed for 21 days, that schedule will become a habit,” the sleep expert assures. 

llidigu@ke.nationmedia.com