Smartphone addiction: effects on sleep and what you can do

Smartphone addiction: effects on sleep and what you can do

by
The study, published on Tuesday in Frontiers in Psychiatry, looked at the use of smartphones among 1,043 students aged 18 to 30 at King’s College London. The researchers asked students to answer two questionnaires on sleep quality and smartphone use, in person and online.

Using a validated 10-question scale that was developed to assess smartphone addiction in children, nearly 40% of college students qualified as smartphone “addicts”, the study found.

“Our estimated prevalence is consistent with other studies reported in populations of young adults around the world, which are in the range of 30-45%,” wrote the lead author and medical student at King’s College, Sei Yon Sohn and her co-authors. authors in the study.

“The time of later use was also significantly associated with smartphone addiction, with the use after 1h in the morning conferring a 3 times greater risk”, wrote the authors.

Students who reported high cell phone use also reported poor sleep quality, the study found. This is in line with previous studies that found that overuse of smartphones at night is associated with problems falling asleep, reduced sleep duration and daytime tiredness. This is likely to happen because the use of smartphones near bedtime has been shown to delay the circadian rhythm, the normal sleep clock and the body’s wakefulness.
Consider switching your screen to grayscale mode, which will make it less engaging, experts say.
In fact, rule # 1 is “no computers, cell phones and PDAs in bed and at least an hour before bedtime”, Dr. Vsevolod Polotsky, who directs basic sleep research in the pulmonary medicine and care division intensive at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he told CNN in a recent interview.

That’s because “any light source in the LED spectrum can further suppress melatonin levels,” said Polotsky. Melatonin, secreted at a 24-hour daily circadian rhythm, is often called a “sleep hormone” because we sleep better at night, when levels peak.

Reaction to the study

“This is a cross-sectional study and, as such, cannot lead to any firm conclusions about using the phone as the cause of reduced sleep quality,” said Bob Patton, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Surrey, by- mail.

Smartphones can make your headaches worse, study finds

“This, however, provides some compelling evidence that the nature of smartphone use and its related consequences are important considerations for addressing the emerging phenomenon of ‘smartphone addiction’,” said Patton, who leads the Drugs, Alcohol & Addictive group. Behaviors Research Group at the University.

Andrew Przybylski, a senior researcher and associate professor at the University of Oxford, disagreed that science has validated any “so-called ‘smartphone addiction'” as it “is not recognized by any global health agency and is not a psychiatric disorder”.

“Readers should be cautious when drawing firm conclusions about the impact of smartphone use on the general population, or the idea that they are addictive in any objective sense, based on this work,” said Przybylski, who is also the research director. at the Oxford Internet Institute, via email.

What do smartphones and cigarettes have in common?

The authors acknowledged the limitations of their study, but stated: “If smartphone addiction establishes itself firmly as a focus of clinical concern, those who use their phones after midnight or use their phones for 4 or more hours a day are likely will be at high risk. “

Struggling to win zzz’s

Cell phone addiction is also known as nomophobia, which means NO MObile PHOne phoBIA – a 21st century term for fear of not being able to use your cell phone or other smart device. Are you one of the addicts? There is a test that you can take to find out.
How to find the right white noise machine for you (CNN Underscored)

If you or a loved one seems to have symptoms of a smart device or internet addiction, the experts have some suggestions.

Schedule timeouts. First, hang up the phone at certain times of the day, such as when attending meetings, having dinner, playing with your children and, of course, driving.

Ban mobile apps. Remove social media apps, like Facebook and Twitter, from your phone and just check in on your laptop. Try to shorten the 15-minute intervals at certain times of the day, when it won’t affect work or family life.

Go in grayscale. Experts suggest using black and white. Beautiful colors are attractive, while gray is boring.

Substitute. Try replacing your smart device’s time with healthier activities, such as meditating or interacting with real people.

Improve sleep. Do not take your cell phone and its harmful blue light to bed. Use an old alarm to wake you up.

You can also subscribe to CNN Sleep, but Better newsletter series. We will teach you important tips to improve your zzz.

.Source