New research from the US looking into the texting habits of American teenagers highlights the detrimental effect this has on sleep and school performance.
It is estimated that children between the ages of 8-18 are spending about 7 1/2 hours daily on electronic devices.
“We need to be aware that teenagers are using electronic devices excessively and have a unique physiology,” says study author Xue Ming, professor of neuroscience and neurology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “They tend to go to sleep late and get up late. When we go against that natural rhythm, students become less efficient.”
Professor Ming’s research is part of a growing body of evidence highlighting the negative effect of electronics on sleep health although her study has focussed specifically on instant messaging.
She was alerted to this after noticing an increasing number of her patients using smart phones were presenting with sleep problems. Ming says. “I wanted to isolate how messaging alone – especially after the lights are out – contributes to sleep-related problems and academic performance.”
Her research was based upon 1,537 responses to a survey sent to 3 schools that looked at grades, sexes, messaging duration and whether texting was done before or after lights out.
She found that students who turned off their devices or who messaged for less than 30 minutes after lights out performed significantly better in school than those who messaged for more than 30 minutes after lights out.
Students who texted longer in the dark also slept fewer hours and were sleepier during the day than those who stopped messaging when they went to bed. Texting before lights out did not affect academic performance, the study found.
The effects of “blue light” emitted from smartphones and tablets are intensified when viewed in a dark room. This short wavelength light can have a strong impact on symptoms of daytime sleepiness because it can delay the release of melatonin – the hormone that helps control sleep and wake cycles. This makes it more difficult to fall asleep – even when the eyelids are closed.
“When we turn the lights off, it should be to make a gradual transition from wakefulness to sleep,” Ming says. “If a person keeps getting text messages with alerts and light emission, that also can disrupt his circadian rhythm. Rapid Eye Movement sleep is the period during sleep most important to learning, memory consolidation and social adjustment in adolescents. When falling asleep is delayed but rising time is not, REM sleep will be cut short, which can affect learning and memory.”
She adds: “Sleep is not a luxury; it’s a biological necessity. Adolescents are not receiving the optimal amount of sleep; they should be getting 8-and-a-half hours a night.”
Journal Reference:
1K. Grover, K. Pecor, M. Malkowski, L. Kang, S. Machado, R. Lulla, D. Heisey, X. Ming. Effects of Instant Messaging on School Performance in Adolescents. Journal of Child Neurology, 2016; DOI: 10.1177/0883073815624758
