By the WellnessEvidence.com research team
Think drifting off in front of the television is bad for sleep? A new study on a large universe of Norwegian 16-19 year-olds found significant sleep pattern disruptions associated with the use of mobile phones and computers during the day and prior to bedtime. Published in the UK-based medical journal BMJ Open, and conducted on nearly 10,000 Norwegian adolescents, the study found that kids who use electronic devices an hour or less before bedtime tend to get two hours less sleep than kids that do not use such devices.
The group took an average of one hour more to fall asleep, and got around one hour less sleep per night. Perhaps more surprisingly (or not!), the study revealed that some 90% of young women and 80% of young men use mobile phones or computers within an hour of going to bed. Recommendations: more parental oversight of good sleep hygiene (good luck with that!) – especially since the National Sleep Foundation (US) just released new sleep guidelines for teens aged 14-17: they need 8-10 hours of restorative sleep every night, a full hour longer than the expert panel had previously suggested.
