Sleep Hygiene

Alongside an increase in smartphone ownership and use in teenagers, recent data also suggests a shift towards poorer sleep patterns over the past decades.

These changes include by going to bed later, taking longer to fall asleep, shorter sleep duration, poorer sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness. Several other studies have demonstrated a relationship between mobile phone use at night and shorter sleep duration or increased daytime sleepiness.

Recent surveys from The Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) in partnership with Digital Awareness UK (DAUK) and Deloitte reported that:

• Almost half of 11-18 year olds wake up at least once a night to check their phone
• Almost a quarter of these check their phone more than 10 times per night!
• Two thirds of students say that using their mobile devices at night affects their school work
• One quarter of students say they feel tired during the day because of how often they use their mobile phone at night

There are 4 key reasons why smartphone use in evenings and at bedtime could potentially have a negative impact on sleep quantity and quality.

1. Sleep stealing (sleep can potentially be displaced by smartphone use at night leaving less time for sleep).
2. Smartphone use at bedtime can lead to increased mental, emotional or physiological arousal and therefore interfere with time to onset of sleep.
3. Light emission from smartphones that use LED technology (‘blue-range’ light) may disrupt our sleep by interfering with our body’s melatonin secretion and its in-built 24-hour clock.
4. Smartphones left switched on at night can disturb sleep and reduce the quantity and quality of deep or ‘restorative’ sleep.