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The light emitted by our devices can increase brain activity preventing us from falling asleep.
A recent survey that involved 1,700 participants concluded that sleep is affected by social media. It seems that young people are caught in a vicious cycle in which they cannot sleep, therefore, decide to check their social media accounts which leads to insomnia to kick in.
The book on the nightstand was replaced a couple of years ago with a tablet or a smartphone. People, especially the targeted audience of the study which were male and female individuals between the ages of 17 and 32, seem to think that checking their Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tinder before going to bed is a good way of relaxing and getting ready to catch up on some missing Zs.
But the latest study shows that sleep is affected by social media and this habit is exactly what’s keeping a lot of people from resting up and look fresh in their morning selfies.
The study in question was conducted via a nationwide survey. The list of queries was comprised out of 11 questions developed by the researchers in order to discover if sleep is affected by social media. The questions were focused on the frequency with which the volunteer participants used social platforms like Facebook, Tumblr or SnapChat before going to sleep and the frequency of sleepless nights.
A researcher with a post-doctorate degree, Jessica C. Levinson, who is also the author of the study in question, says this is the first time when somebody researches the link between a poor sleep quality and social platforms. And the results state clearly that sleep is affected by social media.
It seems that a good night’s rest doesn’t depend only on how often or for how long you check your Facebook before going to sleep, but also, the amount of physical exercise you do during the day. According to Levinson, the people who spent more time outdoors and engaged in a physical activity like sports or exercise, and who kept their mobile devices on silent more, slept much better than those who kept in touch with the virtual world.
Levinson says that out of all the volunteer participants in the study, 30% were dealing with some sort of sleep issues. These individuals were also likely to spend an average of 61 minutes a day on social media, which leads to a total of 30 visits on the platforms in a week.
The participants who spent more time on the platforms had up to 50% chances of falling asleep after a longer period of time or even falling asleep at all. This is due to the display units of our devices which stimulate our brain.
Levinson published the study in which she concluded that sleep is affected by social media in the online magazine Preventive Medicine.
If your sleep is affected by social media, experts recommend reading a book or meditating before sleep. The white pages of the book or the calming effects of meditation will help you fall asleep instantly.
Image source: www.envato.com
