[ad_1]
Concerns about the impact of social media platforms on youth mental health led the US Surgeon General to suggest warning labels for them. The Surgeon General’s advice on social media and youth mental health highlighted potential links between social media use and poor sleep quality among youth. Given these issues, what specific steps should teens and parents take to enhance sleep?
A new national study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health explores the link between screen viewing habits and better sleep.
“Ensuring that teens get enough sleep is important because it helps their physical and mental development,” says lead author Jason Nagata, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. “Our study found that keeping notifications on, even in silent mode, reduced sleep loss compared to turning off the phone completely or keeping it outside the bedroom.”
Tips for good quality sleep
Tips include: Keep screens out of the bedroom. Having a television set or internet-connected device in the bedroom is associated with shorter sleep times. Turn off the phone. Leaving the phone ringer on or setting notifications to silent or vibrate is associated with less sleep than turning off the phone completely. Leaving the phone ringer on was associated with a 25% higher risk of sleep disruption than turning it off. 16.2% of teens reported that a phone call, text message, or email woke them up after trying to sleep in the past week.
Don’t use social media or other electronic devices before bed. Using social media, chatting on the internet, playing video games, browsing the internet, and watching or streaming movies, videos, or TV shows while lying in bed before going to sleep are all associated with less sleep. If you wake up in the night, don’t use your phone or engage in social media. One-fifth of teens reported using their phone or other devices after waking up in the night in the past week. This was associated with less sleep overnight.
Also Read: How sleep quality can affect your relationships
The researchers analyzed data from 9,398 preteens aged 11-12 years who are part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. The data was collected from 2018-2021.
Teens and their parents were asked questions about their sleep habits, and young people were asked about screen and social media use at bedtime. One quarter of preteens had sleep disruptions. 16.2% reported being awakened by a phone call, text message, or email at least once in the past week. Additionally, 19.3% reported using their phone or another device if they woke up at night.
Also read: World Sleep Day: How lack of sleep can affect your mood – and what to do about it
“Teenagers can be extremely sensitive to phone notifications, often waking up immediately when they hear a phone call,” Nagata said. “Even if the phone is on silent or vibrate, teens continue to check it throughout the night. Once they start reading or responding to messages, they may become more alert and active.”
“Adolescence is a challenging time for many people as it involves social pressures and physical, psychological, and emotional changes,” said co-author Kyle T. Ganson, PhD, assistant professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. “It’s important to understand this process and be present to support youth with their social media use.” (ANI)
[ad_2]
