This habit steals 24 minutes of sleep each night

The results show that it is not only social media that keeps us awake at night – any kind of screen use in bed can be a great culprit compared to this.

« It does not appear that the type of screen activity is as important as the total time you use screens in bed, » Dr. Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland from the Norwegian Folk Health Institute in Norway, lead author of the study, according to Manchester Evening News.

« We found no significant differences between the use of social media and other screen activities, suggesting that screen users are in itself the decisive factor in sleep disorders – probably due to time offset, where screen usage delays sleep by absorbing time that would otherwise be spent at rest. »

Experts have long warned about the negative effects of screen time on sleep. In fact, another new study among more than 120,000 adult Americans shows that people who look at screens before bed are 33 percent more likely to report sleep problems than those who never use screen before bed.

The authors of the latest study warn that screen uses can damage our sleep in four ways: Notifications that interfere with our sleep; Screen time replacing bedtime; Digital activities that keep us awake; And light that disturbs our natural sleep rhythm.

« Sleep problems are very widespread among students and have significant consequences for mental health, study performance and general well -being, but previous studies have primarily focused on teens, » Hjetland said.

« Given the widespread screen use in bed, we wanted to investigate the relationship between different screen activities and sleep patterns. We expected that use of social media would be stronger associated with poor sleep due to its interactive nature and potential for emotional stimulation. »

But the researchers found that social media was no worse than other screen activities such as watching television or playing computer games. The study suggests that it is the overall screen time that seems to be most important.

However, research could not determine whether screen usage is the cause of insomnia. The study was based on questionnaire data, where the participants had set their own screen use, bedtime, awakening time and sleep problems.

Therefore, the study simply demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between screen use and sleep problems – which may also mean that young people with insomnia are more likely to use screens.

« The study cannot determine the causal relationship – for example, whether screen usage causes insomnia or whether students with insomnia use screens more, » Hjetland said.

« The study also did not include physiological measurements that could provide more accurate insights into sleep patterns. »

More research is needed to fully understand the relationship between screen time and sleep problems, but it does not hurt to try to reduce screen use in bed in the meantime as it hardly does anything good for your sleep.

« If you have problems with sleep and suspect that screen time can play a role, try reducing screen use in bed – preferably stop at least 30-60 minutes before bed. If you use screens, consider turning off notifications to minimize disturbances during the night, » Hjetland said.