How to Minimize Negative Effects of Screentime on Sleep

"Most sleep researchers have assumed that the blue light emitted from screens delays the release of melatonin and consequently causes significant delays in sleep onset and less time asleep. But research has now shown that sleep is delayed by only a few minutes by blue light exposure and is not likely to be a very important factor relating to insufficient sleep."

"Leaving the phone on overnight leads to nighttime interruptions, fragmenting and shortening sleep in a harmful way. One study the researchers reviewed showed that adolescents who experienced frequent interruptions were more than five times as likely to have poor sleep both concurrently and a year later."

"A 2024 paper in Sleep Medicine Reviews by a group of international pediatric sleep researchers (Bauducco et al., 2024) looked at several possible mechanisms thought to be responsible for the association of screen use with sleep problems. For one mechanism, they wrote that recent research had led them to modify some of their previously held conclusions."

"One suggestion is to put phones on airplane mode when going to bed or using the Do Not Disturb setting, allowing for messages only from particular people to get throug"

Excessive screen use before bed and during the night disrupts sleep in children and adolescents. Research has examined mechanisms that could explain the link between screens and sleep problems. Blue light was previously considered a major cause because it can affect melatonin release, but newer findings show it delays sleep by only a few minutes and is unlikely to be a primary driver of insufficient sleep. Other factors appear more important, especially leaving phones on overnight, which can cause nighttime interruptions that fragment and shorten sleep. Adolescents with frequent interruptions show much higher odds of poor sleep both at the time of measurement and a year later. Reducing interruptions through settings like airplane mode or Do Not Disturb can lessen harmful effects.

Read at Psychology Today