Giving up gadgets in the bedroom will improve sleep in teens

Getting a good night's sleep is vital for teens' physical health, mental well-being and academic success, but many are not getting enough sleep. A new study shows that habits related to the use of gadgets before bedtime may be to blame, reports EurekAlert!

The study sheds light on how teens use gadgets before bed, and how it relates to sleep disturbances and sleep duration. Researchers found that more than 70% of teens have an internet-connected device in their bedroom, and nearly 25% reported being woken up by notifications in the past week, Science Russia reports. If they woke up in the middle of the night, 28% turned on their device before falling back to sleep.

“Teens need quality sleep for their bodies and brains to develop properly,” says the paper's author, Jason Nagata, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. "Teens can protect their sleep by not using smartphones in the bedroom, turning off notifications on devices and avoiding social media at bedtime. If you wake up in the night, resist the urge to check your phone."

The study adds to existing knowledge about the impact of gadget use and poor sleep quality on adolescents. The latter is associated with an increased risk of physical and mental health problems, poorer academic performance and poorer well-being.

Experts used data from the nationwide Adolescent Cognitive Development Study (ABCD), the largest long-term study of brain development in the United States, which collected data on 10,305 adolescents aged 12-13. Study participants reported how often they watched television before bed, and caregivers provided information on sleep disturbances and sleep duration. 

“Sociodemographic differences in gadget use before bedtime may inform targeted and culturally sensitive counseling for pediatricians and caregivers,” said study co-author Kyle T. Gunson, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. “Individualized digital literacy programs and prevention recommendations can be targeted to at-risk groups to support healthy sleep for all adolescents.”

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