Increased screen time in bed linked to higher risk of insomnia and reduced sleep duration for Norwegian college students. Using only social media before bed associated with fewer sleep problems.

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A recent study conducted on Norwegian college students sheds light on the relationship between bedtime screen use and sleep quality. The research revealed that spending more time on screens after going to bed is associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing insomnia and getting less sleep, regardless of the type of screen activity. Here are some key takeaways from the study:

– Increased screen time before bed is linked to a 59% higher chance of reporting symptoms of insomnia and an average decrease of 24 minutes in sleep duration.
– Students who solely used social media in bed reported fewer insomnia symptoms and longer sleep duration compared to those engaged in other screen-based activities.
– The study aimed to address the impact of bedtime screen use on sleep among young adults, a demographic known for high digital media usage and sleep disturbances. Past research has often focused on children and teenagers, leaving a gap in understanding the relationship between screens and sleep in college-aged individuals.
– The researchers analyzed data from the 2022 Students’ Health and Wellbeing Study in Norway, focusing on a sample of 45,654 full-time students aged 18 to 28. The majority of participants reported using screens in bed, forming the core sample for the main analyses.
– Participants provided information on their bedtime screen habits, types of activities they engaged in, and sleep patterns, such as bedtime, wake time, and frequency of sleep disturbances.
– While all screen activities were associated with worsened sleep outcomes, those who used only social media at bedtime had the best overall sleep quality, followed by users who combined social media with other activities. Students who engaged in non-social media screen activities reported the poorest sleep quality.

These findings suggest that the total time spent on screens in bed plays a significant role in disrupting sleep patterns, regardless of the specific activity. While different screen-based tasks may influence sleep outcomes to some extent, reducing overall screen time before bed could potentially help improve sleep quality.

The study offers a couple of possible explanations for these results. Firstly, the displacement hypothesis suggests that screen time may displace time that would otherwise be spent resting, leading to delayed bedtime and reduced sleep duration. Secondly, the social aspect of using social media before bed may contribute to better sleep outcomes for some individuals, as human connection has been linked to improved sleep quality in previous research.

It’s important to highlight that the study’s design does not establish causation, indicating the need for longitudinal studies or experiments to clarify the direction of the effects between screen use and sleep. Despite this limitation, the findings underscore the importance of reducing screen time at bedtime to potentially enhance sleep quality in young adults.

Lead author Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health emphasized the significance of minimizing screen use in bed, recommending individuals to cease screen activity at least 30 to 60 minutes before sleep to mitigate disruptions. The study challenges the notion that social media is uniquely detrimental to sleep and emphasizes the overarching impact of screen time on sleep patterns.

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