Adolescent Sleep and the Impact of Technology Use Before Sleep on Daytime Function.
Ann E E Johansson, Maria A Petrisko, Eileen R Chasens
PMID 27184356WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents who said they slept too little were more likely to use phones, internet and social media before bed.
More device use was connected to waking early, feeling unrefreshed and daytime sleepiness.
Key findings
0197% of adolescents used some type of technology in the hour before sleep.
02Adolescents who reported inadequate sleep had almost one hour less sleep and were more likely to report daytime sleepiness and driving drowsy once or more per week.
03Using more devices before bed, using the phone, using the internet or social media, and being woken by a cell phone were associated with waking too early, waking unrefreshed or excess daytime sleepiness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The data are from a cross-sectional survey, so they show connections at one point in time and cannot show that bedtime technology caused poor sleep or daytime sleepiness. Sleep and technology use were self-reported, with no objective sleep or device-use measurement, so recall and estimation errors are possible. The sample was fairly small for the age range, and correlations between technology and daytime function were modest. The original survey limited the questions available, so the study could not account for daily routines, school start times, caffeine, anxiety or other sleep influences. Adolescents who already sleep poorly may use more technology while awake, which could make the associations look stronger. The adult Epworth Sleepiness Scale was used for adolescents aged 13 to 21, and some items may not have applied to all participants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that removing screens before bed will improve adolescent daytime function. The study found associations from self-reported survey data, and adolescents who sleep poorly may use more technology while awake.