Youngsters who use their computers or cellphones to chat with friends, play video games, study or listen to music before bed get less sleep. A British study has found that 11 to 13 year-olds who use technology in their bedrooms get approximately an hour less sleep nightly than their peers. This can have a negative impact on alertness in school and even on health problems such as high blood pressure, obesity and depression.
Children who watch TV right before bed are four times more likely to report waking multiple times during the night. This is an age at which circadian rhythms are starting to shift, so that teenagers frequently feel sleepy later and have a harder time getting up early in the morning. Sleep experts say youngsters from 11 to 13 should get 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night, and recommend that kids unplug at least an hour before bedtime so they can unwind.
[Sleep Medicine, online Dec. 16, 2013]
The recommendation to avoid electronic screens just before retiring applies to adults as well. Most screens put out blue wavelengths that can trick the eyes and the brain into thinking it is not nighttime. This inhibits the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and can contribute to insomnia or poor sleep quality.
