Apr 01, 2025 01:21 PM IST
The study observed a direct link between screen exposure at night and insomnia. Here’s what you need to know.
For most of us, it is routine to tuck ourselves into bed at night and start scrolling on social media or watch some content on OTT platforms. But here’s what we are unaware of. According to a large study conducted on Norwegian college students, with every one hour of screen exposure at night, we lose 24 minutes of sleep. Also read | Screens before bed ruining your teens sleep? This new research might just change your mind
Findings of the study:
The study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, was conducted by analysing data from 45,654 full-time students aged 18 to 28. The students were asked to answer questions based on their bedtime screen use, types of activities they engaged in, and their sleep patterns. Based on the answers, the participants were grouped into three categories. Th first group comprised of people who only used social media, the second group consisted of people who grouped social media with other screen-based activities, and the third group was for people who refrained from social media use but indulged in other activities.
Then the participants’ sleep schedule and quality was also measured, to understand their bedtime, wake time, how long they took to fall asleep, how often they woke up in the middle of the night and if they felt tired during the day. Also read | Indians have a big sleep crisis: Survey shows how sleep is being delayed for late night scrolls and binge watch
The findings revealed a significant pattern. It was observed that more screen time before bed was associated with worse sleep patterns. With each hour spent on screen before sleeping, there was an 59% increased risk of insomnia, with 24 minutes of lost sleep.
The researchers added in the study, “There was no difference in the association between screen time and sleep for social media versus other screen activities, suggesting that social media may not be considered worse than other screen activities in terms of disrupting sleep. Irrespective of screen time, those only using social media had the lowest proportion reporting symptoms of insomnia and the longest sleep duration, while those who only engaged in other screen activities had the worst sleep.” Also read | Screen time is contributing to chronic sleep deprivation in tweens and teens
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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