SMARTPHONE USE DIRECTLY correlates with sleep, with greater use
demonstrating a significant association with shorter sleep duration and
worse sleep efficiency, according to researchers from the University of
California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the US, the institution wrote on its
website on November 9.
In the study, the researchers used a volunteer sample of 653 people with an average age of 42.
As
smartphone use increased, particularly around bedtime, sleep duration
and quality decreased, says senior author Gregory Marcus.
“Increased
screen time in the hour of and after bedtime, but not the hour before,
was associated with greater sleep onset latency,” says lead author
Matthew Christensen. “This agrees with the notion that screen use just
before attempting to fall asleep may be particularly problematic.”
Smartphone
screen time was not associated with any change in physical activity
level or body mass index. This could be attributable to the
multifunctionality of smartphones or their use during physical
activities, such as in running apps.
The
researchers note these results may not be representative of the general
population. The authors also say iPhones were not used, multiple people
could have used a single smartphone and the screen could have been on
while a participant was unaware.
Previous
studies have associated exposure to smartphone screens, particularly
around bedtime, with poor sleep, but their frequency of use has not been
objectively measured and compared to demographics, health information
and sleep quality.
Poor sleep –
either quantity or quality – has been shown as a risk factor for
obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and overall
mortality. Light in the blue spectrum, such as that produced by a
smartphone, can suppress production of melatonin, leading to decreased
drowsiness, difficulty initiating sleep and non-restorative sleep.
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