College students’ loneliness outweighs screen time in causing insomnia

From news-medical.net

Being lonely is a bigger hurdle to a good night's sleep for college students than too much time at a computer or other electronic screen, a new study by Oregon State University suggests.

The research led by scientists in the OSU College of Liberal Arts is important because both insomnia and loneliness are serious public health concerns and are at epidemic levels among young adults in higher education, the researchers note.

Jessee Dietch, John Sy and collaborators at Harvard Medical School and Chaminade University studied more than 1,000 undergraduate students and found that when an individual's total daily screen time reached the 8- to 10-plus-hour range, there was an increased likelihood of insomnia.

They also found 35% of the subjects had high levels of loneliness and that lonely students were more likely to have trouble sleeping than less-lonely students irrespective of screen time. That 35% reported clinically significant symptoms of insomnia at almost twice the rate of the other 65%.

"For the students in our study, screen time was definitely associated with insomnia symptoms. But loneliness was a better predictor of insomnia."

John Sy, graduate student in OSU's School of Psychological Science

Loneliness is a pervasive condition that significantly hinders wellness, the researchers say, causing suffering in a range of forms, including impaired sleep because of its association with greater sensitivity to stress and to rumination over stressful events.

The U.S. surgeon general's office points out that even before COVID-19, about half of American adults reported measurable levels of loneliness, and that lacking connection is on par with smoking for raising the risk of premature death. In addition, people who often feel lonely are more than twice as likely to develop depression than those who rarely or never feel lonely.

According to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-quarter of college students experience insomnia and thus are deprived of the quality restorative sleep that helps underpin cognitive function, mood regulation, metabolism and many other aspects of well-being.

"Insomnia is detrimental to the health of college students," said Dietch, assistant professor of psychological science and a licensed clinical psychologist who is board certified in behavioural sleep medicine. "It has been consistently associated with increased stress, anxiety and mood disturbance, as well as decreased academic performance."

Dietch added that a global review of college students found that 18.5% had insomnia compared to 7.4% of non-students in the same age group. Students involved in intimate relationships – close friendships as well as romantic partnerships – are less likely to report being lonely than those who are not, she said.

"There is a prevailing notion that screen time increases the likelihood of insomnia symptoms, and we did see that," Sy said. "We recommend that college students use electronic devices for a maximum of 8 to 10 hours a day to reduce their insomnia risk. And we also encourage university administrators and counselors to prioritize loneliness before screen time when addressing insomnia."

Findings of the study, which involved students at Oregon State University and Chaminade University, were published in the Journal of American College Health.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20241204/College-studentse28099-loneliness-outweighs-screen-time-in-causing-insomnia.aspx 

Study reveals that employees who frequently engage with AI systems are more likely to experience loneliness

From eastcoastdaily.in 

As the integration of AI into various aspects of society continues to evolve, it is crucial to carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages it brings. Proactive measures are necessary to maximize the benefits of AI while mitigating potential drawbacks. According to a research study conducted by the American Psychological Association and reported by scitechdaily, employees who frequently engage with AI systems are more likely to experience loneliness, which can lead to insomnia and increased after-work drinking. The study was conducted across different countries, including the United States, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with consistent findings across different cultures.

Lead researcher Dr. Pok Man Tang, who has experience in an investment bank and is now an assistant professor of management at the University of Georgia, emphasizes that while AI systems offer many benefits, they also pose uncharted dangers, including potential negative impacts on employees’ mental and physical well-being. Humans are social animals, and isolating work with AI systems may have detrimental effects on employees’ personal lives.

Interestingly, the study found that employees who frequently interacted with AI systems were more likely to provide assistance to their colleagues. However, this response might be driven by their own loneliness and desire for social interaction. The research also revealed that individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety, characterized by insecurity and worry about social connections, showed stronger reactions to working with AI systems, both positive (helping behaviours) and negative (loneliness and insomnia).

In one experiment, engineers from a Taiwanese biomedical company who frequently worked with AI systems were surveyed over three weeks. The results showed a correlation between increased interaction with AI systems and higher levels of loneliness, insomnia, and after-work alcohol consumption. However, these employees also exhibited helping behaviours towards their co-workers.

A similar experiment involving real estate consultants in an Indonesian property management company yielded the same findings. Additionally, online experiments with full-time working adults in the US and employees at a Malaysian tech company produced similar results.

It is important to note that the research findings demonstrate a correlation between work with AI systems and loneliness, insomnia, and other responses, but they do not establish a causal relationship. Dr. Tang suggests that developers of AI technology should consider incorporating social features, such as a human-like voice, to simulate human interactions. Employers could also limit the frequency of AI system usage and provide opportunities for employees to socialize. Tasks requiring social connections could be assigned to humans while AI systems focus on repetitive and monotonous tasks.

Dr. Tang further proposes that mindfulness programs and other positive interventions may help alleviate loneliness among employees. Taking action now to mitigate the potential negative effects of working with AI systems is crucial as AI continues to expand.

https://www.eastcoastdaily.in/2023/06/19/study-reveals-that-employees-who-frequently-engage-with-ai-systems-are-more-likely-to-experience-loneliness.html

Insomnia, loneliness and COVID-19

From medicalxpress.com/news

The harmful effects of COVID-19 may go beyond the body, whether you've contracted the disease or not, according to University of Arizona research looking at the impact of the novel coronavirus on mental health.

A team of UArizona psychiatrists and sleep researchers led by William "Scott" Killgore, psychiatry professor in the College of Medicine—Tucson, found evidence in surveys that during the wide lockdown period in April, there may have been a spike in suicidal thoughts in the United States. They found two possible reasons for the increase: loneliness and anxiety-induced insomnia.

Their findings, which are yet to be peer-reviewed, were recently published as letters to the editor of the journal Psychiatry Research.

The findings are based on surveys of over 1,000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 34. The team continues to analyse survey data monthly in an effort to track mental health responses to COVID-19 throughout the year.

UANews spoke with Killgore and sleep expert and study co-author Michael Grandner, an associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Sleep and Health Research Program in the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioural Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner—University Medical Centre Tucson, on ways to protect mental health during this time.

Q: How pervasive is the feeling of loneliness in isolation?
Killgore: We found that during the lockdown period back in April, right when COVID cases were modelled to peak, that the rates of loneliness were quite high. According to our survey results, 93% of respondents were sheltering in place; 61.5% felt social isolated much of the time and 43% exceeded the cut-off for high loneliness, which is higher than previous reports. It's not common to have this level of isolation on such a wide scale.

Q: What are the public health consequences of such wide-spread loneliness?
Killgore: We found that reported loneliness was strongly correlated with depression. Of the people who scored in the lonely rage (the 61.5% of respondents), 54.7% of lonely participants met clinically significant criteria for moderate to severe depression. Only 15% of non-lonely participants felt that way. Then we focused in on the survey question that asked how often you've had thoughts that you would be better off dead, or hurting yourself in some way. We divided respondents into those who said no and those who said yes at any point in the previous two weeks. We found that 35% of the people who scored in lonely range had thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Pre-pandemic, the rate of suicide ideation is much lower, typically between 2 to 4%.

Q: Do you have any tips for beating loneliness?
Killgore: We might all be "Zoomed out," but try to think creatively about ways to stay socially connected. Getting outside is also important. Even if you stay a safe distance from people, you can see that the world is better and you're not alone. Research has even shown that people who get more sunshine have much better mental health outcomes. Sunlight, especially in the morning hours, can help with mood and reduce depression. We find that people who get outside for 10 minutes of sunshine or more regularly seem to have a better ability to cope with the stresses of the pandemic. Fresh air and physical activity can be helpful for mood too.

Q: What have you learned about the role of insomnia in mental health during this stressful time?
Killgore: Although most people don't have suicidal thoughts, we found that, as you might expect, the more afraid you are of COVID-19, the more likely you are to have occasional thoughts about suicide or self-harm. But we were interested in the role of sleep and insomnia in this relationship. Our statistical analysis revealed that it's the insomnia triggered by the fear of the virus that's causing suicidal ideation. If you're afraid of COVID, you're more anxious, and that's affecting your sleep, which is critical for processing this fear. Without sufficient good quality sleep, suicidal thoughts start to have a louder voice.

Q: How might COVID-19 fears affect people differently?

Killgore: People with existing mental health issues are going to be more susceptible. But even for people who may not have a history of mental health problems, if you're not sleeping well, you can be affected too. Sleep is important for your brain to think rationally, and if you don't get sufficient good sleep then it becomes harder to distinguish rational from irrational thoughts—at 3 a.m., emotional thoughts tend to have greater sway, and you make different decisions than you might during the sobriety of daylight. In fact, your brain starts to think differently when you haven't had good amount of sleep. We've done research that shows that when we're sleep deprived, we make many of the same types of errors as people with lesions in their ventromedial prefrontal cortex—the area of the brain responsible for emotion, decision-making and social cognition.

Q: What are some tips for getting better sleep?

Killgore: Again, getting outside helps. Blue morning light helps reset your wake/sleep cycle and helps you get sleepy at a more reasonable time.
Grandner: Falling asleep can be difficult when you have a hard time detaching and disconnecting from your thoughts at the end of the day, especially when you're glued to the news. To combat this, give yourself time to wind down before bedtime. Take time to relax and switch gears by avoiding screens. Instead, try reading or relaxing each of your muscles one at a time.

Waking up and being unable to fall back asleep is also becoming more common as people become more stressed. While it's normal to awaken up to 30 times nightly, it's only for a few seconds and you don't remember it. It becomes an issue when you're awake for 20, 30 minutes or more and when these awakenings are driven by anxious thoughts.

You can overcome this by realizing that your anxious thoughts at 3 a.m. are unproductive. It's also good to get out of bed as soon as you know you're not falling back asleep. You want to preserve your bed as a place for sleep to train your brain into associating it that way. When you stay tossing and turning in your bed, you're training your brain to respond that way in the future. Try to find a few ways to relax yourself like you do before bedtime.

Working from home or stress can make sleep patterns irregular, but your body likes routine. Throwing your body's biological clock off can impact all sorts of natural rhythms such as appetite, metabolism, even hormones, which can cause people to feel drained and sluggish even without exerting themselves. It's important to build regularity into your day. Go to bed and wake up at a similar time every day. When you wake up in the morning, get some sunlight and move around.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-insomnia-loneliness-covid-.html