Screentime and Sleep Health
Excessive unmanaged screentime affects sleep quality for both adults and teens. Here's what you can do about it.
Excessive unmanaged screentime can greatly affect the sleep health of both adults and teens. It's not just about social media. E-mails in bed, binge watching a show and generally, the constant exposure to screens, especially before bed, disrupts natural sleep rhythms and can have serious long-term consequences.
Melatonin Disruption
Blue light from screens interferes with the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles.
Sleep Onset Delay
Using screens before bed increases the time it takes to fall asleep by an average of 4-12 minutes.
Health Risks
Poor sleep quality increases risk of obesity, cardiovascular problems, anxiety, and depression.
1. Disruption of Melatonin Production
Blue light from screens interferes with melatonin production, the hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. When melatonin is suppressed, it leads to delayed sleep onset and reduced sleep quality.
Research by the NIH showed that melatonin use by adults has jumped 400% between 2000 and 2022. In the US, sales of melatonin have doubled to nearly $820 million dollars. Your digital habits cost you real money!
2. Increased Sleep Onset Latency
Sleep latency means how long it takes you to fall asleep. On average, a healthy person takes between 10 and 20 minutes to fall asleep. Teens and adults who spend too much time on devices before bed find it harder to fall asleep. This can lead to shorter sleep durations, impacting mood, focus, and overall health.
One study found that adults who increased their screen time before bed had a mean increase of 4.08 minutes in sleep onset latency. Another study found that adults who avoided using their phones 30 minutes before bed had a 12-minute shorter sleep latency.
What's an extra 4 minutes tossing and turning? That's 75 days of your life lost!
3. Poor Sleep Quality and Long Term Health Risks
Unmanaged screentime often results in fragmented sleep, which not only leaves you tired but also increases the risk of developing long-term health issues like obesity and cardiovascular problems. Teens are especially vulnerable to the negative effects of excessive screentime on sleep. Poor sleep affects cognitive development, learning ability, and emotional regulation, which can lead to mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
About Scroll by Choice
We empower people to reclaim control over their screentime and develop positive human computer interactions. We deliver solutions for: Organizations who are reimagining workplace productivity & creativity in hybrid & virtual settings; Schools & Educational institutions considering modern cellphone and AI-use policies ; Parents & professionals interested in developing positive digital habits.
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