What’s Your Kid’s Smartphone Doing to Her Sleep?

By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album

Reviewed by Heidi Radunovich, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida

It’s 11:30 pm, and you’re just getting into bed for some well-deserved rest. Where’s your smartphone right now?

If you’re me, the answer to this question might be, “In the living room,” “On a charger somewhere,” or even, “I have no idea.” (I have a conflicted relationship with my phone!) However, I’m well aware that I’m unusual. In fact, a 2012 poll found that around 70% of people my age (early 40s) keep their phones within close reach when they go to bed. That number is even higher for younger adults.

What About Kids?

For many of our teens, and even tweens, it’s the same story. We already know that having a TV in the bedroom negatively affects kids’ sleep… so how are all these “small screens” affecting the sleep patterns of our children? Consider, after all, that these powerful little devices can connect children and teens to friends, videos, games—almost anything. And unlike a turned-off TV, a seemingly silent phone can come “back to life” with messages, calls, and notifications all night long.

Phones’ Effects on Childrens’ Sleep

In a recent study of over 2000 fourth- and seventh-graders, researchers looked at whether or not kids this age slept with smartphones or other such devices by their beds, and how that affected how much sleep they got and how rested they felt. On average, children who slept next to so-called “small-screen” devices (54% of the sample) got about 20 minutes less sleep per day than those who didn’t have these items in their bedrooms at night. They were also significantly more likely to say that they frequently “felt like they needed more sleep.”

The reason for reduced rest was actually pretty easy to figure out: kids with screens by their beds were falling asleep later! So it may be of more interest to think about why these children also felt less rested — because this was true even when the researchers adjusted for actual sleep length.

Why Devices May Reduce Sleep Quality

We know that sleep quality can be affected by “blue” light from the screens that suppresses the release of melatonin, a hormone that affects our sleep rhythms. The exciting and stimulating content from screens might also make it harder to sleep well. And, as previously mentioned, the ability of a phone to alert us through sound creates additional concerns. All these factors may be contributing to reduced sleep quality in those with phones or tablets by their sides. And don’t forget, these kids were staying up later as well, though it’s hard to know exactly what caused this.

So, what’s a parent to do? Most experts would suggest having your tweens and teens hand over their phones at bedtime, to be charged in another area of the house. As for mom and dad, it would be excellent advice for us to do the same.

(Photo credit: Tuckered out, but still needs the phone by m01229. CC BY 2.0. Cropped.)

References:

Falbe, J., et al. (2015). Sleep duration, restfulness, and screens in the sleep environment. Pediatrics, 135(2), e367-e375. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-2306

Khazan, O. (2015). How smartphones hurt sleep. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/how-smartphones-are-ruining-our-sleep/385792/

 

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Posted: March 9, 2015


Category: Relationships & Family, Work & Life
Tags: Health And Wellness, Parenting


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