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YouTube found to be especially bad for teens' sleep
by Cara Murez
Many teens look at screens at bedtime, but some apps are more likely to keep them awake than others, leading to sleep problems.
Even homework done on screens late at night can be harmful, added Avidan, who reviewed the findings.
Watching Netflix was also associated with greater sleepiness during the day.
Gradisar said one takeaway for parents is that not all technology use before bed is bad for their teen. Mom and Dad can also apply the findings to their own sleep health, he said.
"We often recommend that people do their own experiments with their tech use before sleep," Gradisar said. "Find something that's enjoyable so you don't develop a bad relationship with your bed or bedroom. The tech you're using should be relaxing, but also be aware if it's controlling your bedtime."
Avidan noted that adolescence brings a change in sleep-wake timing.
"They go to bed late and they tend to wake up late, and this delay in the circadian phase is really what prompted the call in multiple states, particularly here in California, to delay school start time," he said.
Adding in blue light from phones after 9 p.m. delays the sleep phase even longer, Avidan said.
"If someone is already likely to be delaying their circadian phase of going to bed and waking up because it's physiologic, when you add on top of that an environmental factor that makes that even worse, then it's a perfect storm," he said.
Not getting enough sleep can be a pathway to depression, Avidan said. It may affect thinking skills and academic performance. It can continue into college, affecting success and health.
He said it's important that people know how much sleep they need. For adults, that's seven to eight hours a night. Teens under 18 need eight to 10 hours. And that sleep needs to be consistent.
Depending how it is used, a phone can have different impacts on sleep, noted Rebecca Robbins, from the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
A person can use a phone to send an email, meditate using a relaxation coaching app or play a video game, all of which would have a different impact, she said.
"Young people face a host of challenges when it comes to their sleep," said Robbins, who was not involved in the study. "We have scores of data to show that the vast majority of high school students, young people in this age bracket from 12 to 18 years of age, the vast majority are not getting enough."
At the same time, about 80% of U.S. high schools start before 8 a.m., she noted.
If teens are optimally tired about midnight and they still take a while to fall asleep, this further narrows the window of time for them to get deep restorative sleep, Robbins said.
"That [deep sleep] will allow them to wake up and manage their mood effectively, avoid risk-taking behaviors, maintain a positive, healthy outlook and mood," she said, while avoiding both short- and long-term consequences of insufficient sleep.
High school is one of the last times when parents and child are living together, so it is an opportunity to mutually develop rules that both adults and kids can live within, Robbins said.
For example, that could include cultivating some healthy wind-down activities at night, such as reading together, breathing exercises or just talking about the day.
"Life, again, gets so busy, but really try to have a time where you're off screens, you can talk about things as a family," Robbins suggested. "What happened in your day? What was good? What was challenging? [This] could not only maybe offer mental health benefits, but also sleep benefits."
The findings appear in the December issue of the journal Sleep Medicine.
Explore further
Meg Pillion et al, What's "app"-ning to adolescent sleep? Links between device, app use, and sleep outcomes, Sleep Medicine (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.08.004
Copyright © 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Original Text (This is the original text for your reference.)
YouTube found to be especially bad for teens' sleep
by Cara Murez
Many teens look at screens at bedtime, but some apps are more likely to keep them awake than others, leading to sleep problems.
Even homework done on screens late at night can be harmful, added Avidan, who reviewed the findings.
Watching Netflix was also associated with greater sleepiness during the day.
Gradisar said one takeaway for parents is that not all technology use before bed is bad for their teen. Mom and Dad can also apply the findings to their own sleep health, he said.
"We often recommend that people do their own experiments with their tech use before sleep," Gradisar said. "Find something that's enjoyable so you don't develop a bad relationship with your bed or bedroom. The tech you're using should be relaxing, but also be aware if it's controlling your bedtime."
Avidan noted that adolescence brings a change in sleep-wake timing.
"They go to bed late and they tend to wake up late, and this delay in the circadian phase is really what prompted the call in multiple states, particularly here in California, to delay school start time," he said.
Adding in blue light from phones after 9 p.m. delays the sleep phase even longer, Avidan said.
"If someone is already likely to be delaying their circadian phase of going to bed and waking up because it's physiologic, when you add on top of that an environmental factor that makes that even worse, then it's a perfect storm," he said.
Not getting enough sleep can be a pathway to depression, Avidan said. It may affect thinking skills and academic performance. It can continue into college, affecting success and health.
He said it's important that people know how much sleep they need. For adults, that's seven to eight hours a night. Teens under 18 need eight to 10 hours. And that sleep needs to be consistent.
Depending how it is used, a phone can have different impacts on sleep, noted Rebecca Robbins, from the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
A person can use a phone to send an email, meditate using a relaxation coaching app or play a video game, all of which would have a different impact, she said.
"Young people face a host of challenges when it comes to their sleep," said Robbins, who was not involved in the study. "We have scores of data to show that the vast majority of high school students, young people in this age bracket from 12 to 18 years of age, the vast majority are not getting enough."
At the same time, about 80% of U.S. high schools start before 8 a.m., she noted.
If teens are optimally tired about midnight and they still take a while to fall asleep, this further narrows the window of time for them to get deep restorative sleep, Robbins said.
"That [deep sleep] will allow them to wake up and manage their mood effectively, avoid risk-taking behaviors, maintain a positive, healthy outlook and mood," she said, while avoiding both short- and long-term consequences of insufficient sleep.
High school is one of the last times when parents and child are living together, so it is an opportunity to mutually develop rules that both adults and kids can live within, Robbins said.
For example, that could include cultivating some healthy wind-down activities at night, such as reading together, breathing exercises or just talking about the day.
"Life, again, gets so busy, but really try to have a time where you're off screens, you can talk about things as a family," Robbins suggested. "What happened in your day? What was good? What was challenging? [This] could not only maybe offer mental health benefits, but also sleep benefits."
The findings appear in the December issue of the journal Sleep Medicine.
Explore further
Meg Pillion et al, What's "app"-ning to adolescent sleep? Links between device, app use, and sleep outcomes, Sleep Medicine (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.08.004
Copyright © 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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