Just One Hour of Bedtime Screen Use Increases Insomnia Risk by 59%

From scitechdaily.com 

A massive new study suggests bedtime screen time could be seriously damaging your sleep.

Researchers found that even one extra hour of screen use after going to bed raises the chance of insomnia and shortens overall sleep. Contrary to expectations, social media wasn’t worse than other screen-based activities — all types had the same effect. Scientists believe it’s not the content but the lost sleep time itself that’s causing the problem, adding weight to the idea that cutting off screens before bed could be a simple step toward better sleep.

Screen Time in Bed Linked to Sleep Disruption

Using screens in bed could be hurting your sleep more than you think. A large-scale survey of 45,202 young adults in Norway found that just one hour of screen use after going to bed was linked to a 59% increase in the risk of insomnia and an average loss of 24 minutes of sleep per night.

Interestingly, it didn’t matter what people were doing on their screens — whether scrolling social media, watching videos, or reading. According to Dr. Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, lead author of the study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, the biggest factor wasn’t the type of activity, but the total time spent on screens in bed.

“The type of screen activity does not appear to matter as much as the overall time spent using screens in bed,” said Dr. Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, lead author of the article published today (March 31) in Frontiers in Psychiatry. “We found no significant differences between social media and other screen activities, suggesting that screen use itself is the key factor in sleep disruption — likely due to time displacement, where screen use delays sleep by taking up time that would otherwise be spent resting.”

How Screens Mess with Sleep

Sleep plays a vital role in both mental and physical health, yet many people struggle to get enough — especially young adults. One increasingly common habit that may be interfering with sleep is screen use in bed.

Researchers believe screens can affect sleep in several ways:

• Notifications can interrupt or delay sleep.
• Screen time can replace time that would otherwise be used for sleeping.
• Engaging content can keep the brain alert, making it harder to fall asleep.
• Light exposure from screens may shift circadian rhythms and delay sleep onset.

“Sleep problems are highly prevalent among students and have significant implications for mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being, but previous studies have primarily focused on adolescents,” said Hjetland. “Given the widespread use of screens in bed we aimed to explore the relationship between different screen activities and sleep patterns. We expected that social media use might be more strongly associated with poorer sleep, given its interactive nature and potential for emotional stimulation.”

                                                                                           (Getty Images)

Digging into the Data

To investigate, the scientists used the 2022 Students’ Health and Wellbeing survey, a nationally representative study of Norwegian students. They reached 45,202 participants in full-time higher education, aged between 18-28 years old.

They first asked participants to say whether they used screens after going to bed and for how long. Then they asked participants to identify their chosen activities: watching shows or movies, gaming, social media, surfing the internet, listening to audio like podcasts, or reading study-related materials.

Participants were also asked to report their bedtime and rising time, as well as how long it took them to fall asleep, how often they had trouble falling or staying asleep, how often they felt sleepy during the day, and how long their sleep problems persisted. Insomnia was defined as trouble sleeping and daytime sleepiness issues at least three times a week over at least three months.

The scientists then sorted responses into three categories: one where participants said they only used social media, one where participants did not mention social media, and one where participants selected several activities, including social media.

The Screen-Sleep Tradeoff

The scientists found that increasing screen time after bedtime by one hour increased the odds of insomnia symptoms by 59% and lowered sleep duration by 24 minutes. However, using social media wasn’t more detrimental than other screen activities. There was no significant interaction between the time spent using a screen and the choice of activity, suggesting that the activity itself didn’t affect the amount of time people stayed awake. This indicates that screens reduce sleep time because they displace rest, not because they increase wakefulness: different activities would be expected to affect wakefulness differently.

Practical Advice and Caveats

“If you struggle with sleep and suspect that screen time may be a factor, try to reduce screen use in bed, ideally stopping at least 30–60 minutes before sleep,” suggested Hjetland. “If you do use screens, consider disabling notifications to minimize disruptions during the night.”

The scientists cautioned, however, that their study focuses on a single culture. There could be notable differences in the relationship between screen use and sleep globally. Additionally, to compare social media use with other screen activities, some activities which could have different effects on sleep — such as listening to music or gaming — were included in a single category.

“This study cannot determine causality — for example, whether screen use causes insomnia or if students with insomnia use screens more,” noted Hjetland. “The study also did not include physiological assessments, which could provide more precise insights into sleep patterns.”

Reference: “How and when screens are used: Comparing different screen activities and sleep in Norwegian university students” 31 March 2025, Frontiers in Psychiatry.
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1548273

https://scitechdaily.com/just-one-hour-of-bedtime-screen-use-increases-insomnia-risk-by-59/

The Impact of Daylight Saving Time on Sleep Disorders: Challenges for Patients With Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disruptions

From neurologylive.com

Experts discussed how daylight saving time affects sleep patterns, particularly in individuals with insomnia and other sleep disorders, highlighting the challenges of adaptation and the risks of chronic sleep loss

Daylight saving time involves advancing clocks by 1 hour in the spring and returning to standard time in the fall, disrupting the alignment between the sleep-wake cycle and natural light exposure. This shift can negatively impact sleep health by reducing total sleep duration, altering circadian rhythms, and increasing sleep fragmentation. Research indicates that daylight saving time contributes to higher rates of sleep deprivation, particularly in individuals with pre-existing sleep disorders, and is associated with increased risks of metabolic, cardiovascular, and cognitive impairments.1 The transition is especially challenging for those with rigid schedules, such as shift workers and students, who may struggle with prolonged circadian misalignment.

In collaboration with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), NeurologyLive® held a roundtable discussion where sleep experts shared their clinical perspectives on the health impacts of the time change as well as solutions. The panellists in this conversation included clinical psychologist Jennifer Martin, PhD, who serves as professor of medicine at UCLA and was recently the past president of the AASM, neurologist and sleep medicine specialist Karin Johnson, MD, who serves as the co-chair of the Coalition for Permanent Standard Time and the vice president of Save Standard Time, and pulmonologist Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, who practices sleep medicine in Fargo, North Dakota.

In this first episode, sleep specialists examined the effects of daylight saving time on individuals with sleep disorders, with a focus on insomnia and circadian misalignment. They highlighted how the springtime change leads to acute and chronic sleep disruptions, particularly for those with early start times, shift work, or delayed sleep phase disorder. The conversation also explored strategies for mitigating these effects, including gradual schedule adjustments, prioritizing sufficient sleep, and addressing social jet lag. The experts emphasized that while some individuals may briefly experience improved sleep, overall, the transition can exacerbate existing sleep issues and contribute to long-term sleep deprivation.

Transcript edited for clarity.

Isabella Ciccone, MPH: Thank you all for joining this great discussion on the time change, which has been such a debated topic for the longest time. I feel this will be a valuable conversation to share with our audience in March, coinciding with the time change and World Sleep Day. To kick things off, our first question is: How do time changes for daylight saving time impact sleep patterns in patients with existing sleep disorders, such as insomnia? Dr. Martin, would you like to take this one first?

Jennifer Martin, PhD: Sure. People with chronic insomnia—meaning they struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep for months or even years—often experience worsening symptoms when their sleep schedule is disrupted. Interestingly, with this specific time change, Saturday night is shortened by one hour. Some people with insomnia actually sleep a little better for the first couple of nights, but they struggle with adjusting their sleep-wake schedule in relation to the rising and setting of the sun. So, while there might be a brief period of slightly better sleep due to the shorter night, it doesn’t last.

Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM: That’s a really interesting point. I’m not sure it gets a lot of attention, but in our practice, when someone has a chronic sleep disorder, we try to establish a plan for the time change. It can be as simple as applying the general advice we give everyone—gradually adjusting bedtime, wake time, meal times, exercise, and light exposure. For those with sleep disorders, we emphasize that while they already have a condition, we don’t want to introduce additional sleep issues by not getting enough rest. During every visit, we stress the importance of adequate sleep so their underlying disorder doesn’t worsen.

Jennifer Martin, PhD: I also want to mention that any temporary improvement people with insomnia experience in the spring is followed by a temporary worsening in the fall. So, it’s not that their condition truly improves—it just seems slightly better for a couple of days. But when the night gets longer with the fall time change, symptoms get worse again.

Karin Johnson, MD: In general, studies show that most people experience greater sleep loss during the spring time change. This happens because we lose an hour of sleep and transition from standard time—which is more aligned with our natural rhythms—to daylight saving time, which is more misaligned. Some people with delayed sleep phase might welcome the later sunrises and sunsets because they prefer staying up later. However, for night owls, this shift actually pushes their schedule even later, making them more prone to social jet lag. This is especially true for children, who end up sleeping in even later on weekends compared to school or work days, making it harder for them to fall asleep at a reasonable time throughout daylight saving time.

Studies show that when sunset shifts an hour later, people lose about 19 minutes of sleep on average. This loss is especially pronounced for those who need to wake up before 8:30 a.m. If you have the luxury of sleeping in, you may not suffer as much chronic sleep loss. But for those with early start times—such as shift workers, parents, and anyone with a 7 a.m. workday—daylight saving time can make it harder to get enough sleep throughout the entire period.

REFERENCES
1. Sleep experts push for adoption of permanent standard time for public health, safety, and efficiency. News Release. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Published January 27, 2025. Accessed March 13, 2025. https://aasm.org/sleep-experts-push-for-adoption-of-permanent-standard-time-for-public-health-safety-and-efficiency

https://www.neurologylive.com/view/impact-daylight-saving-time-sleep-disorders-challenges-patients-insomnia-circadian-rhythm-disruptions 

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 

Energy drinks linked to poor sleep quality and insomnia among college students

From medicalxpress.com

Knocking back energy drinks is linked to poor quality sleep and insomnia among college students, finds a large Norwegian study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

And the higher the frequency of consumption, the fewer hours of nightly shut-eye the students clocked up. But even just the occasional can—1–3 times a month—is linked to a heightened risk of disturbed sleep, the findings indicate.

Energy drinks contain an average caffeine content of 150 mg per litre as well as sugar, vitamins, minerals and amino acids in varying quantities, note the researchers. Marketed as mental and physical pick-me-ups, they are popular with college students and young people in general.

While there is some evidence to suggest that they reduce sleep quality, it's not clear exactly which aspects of sleep might be more or less affected, or whether there are any sex-specific differences in these effects.

To explore these issues further, the researchers drew on 53,266 18- to 35-year-old participants of the Students' Health and Well-being Study (SHOT22 study)—-the most recent wave of a large national survey of college and university students in Norway.

The students were asked how often they consumed energy drinks, with the response options of daily, weekly (once; 2–3 times; 4–6 times), monthly (1–3 times), and seldom/never.

They were also asked detailed questions about their usual sleep patterns: when they went to bed and got up; how long it took them to fall asleep (sleep latency); wakefulness after going to sleep. Sleep efficiency was then calculated from total nightly hours of sleep vs. time spent in bed.

Insomnia was defined as experiencing difficulties falling and staying asleep and waking early on at least three nights of the week, plus daytime sleepiness and tiredness for at least three days of the week, for at least three months.

                                                                                Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The survey responses indicated clear sex differences in patterns of energy drink consumption. For example, women were more likely than men to report never or seldom consuming energy drinks: 50% vs. 40%.

Of those who said they did drink these beverages, 5.5% of women said they drank them 4–6 times a week and just over 3% reported daily consumption. The comparable figures for men were 8% and 5%, respectively.

But there was a clear dose-response association for both sexes between energy drink consumption and fewer hours of sleep. Both men and women who reported daily consumption slept around half an hour less than those reporting only occasional or no consumption. Similar associations were also observed for waking after falling asleep and taking longer to fall asleep.

And increasing consumption was associated with a corresponding increase in both nocturnal wake time and time taken to fall asleep—poorer sleep efficiency.

Insomnia was also more common among both women and men reporting daily consumption than among those reporting occasional or no consumption: 51% vs. 33% (women) and 37% vs. 22 % (men).

Overall, higher energy drink consumption was associated with an increasing risk of sleep problems across all the aspects studied, with the strongest associations for short sleep duration.

Compared with those reporting no or only an occasional energy drink, men who reported daily consumption were more than twice as likely to say they slept fewer than six hours/night, while women were 87% more likely to do so.

But even those reporting having an energy drink just 1–3 times a month were still at heightened risk of sleep problems.

This is an observational study, and as such, no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause. And the researchers acknowledge that reverse causality—whereby energy drink consumption might be a consequence of poor sleep rather than the other way round—might explain the associations found.

There was no information either on the timing of consumption or the exact quantities drunk, and the study relied on self assessment rather than objective measures of consumption and sleep patterns.

Nevertheless, the researchers conclude, "The results from the current study show that there is a robust association between the frequency of [energy drink] consumption and the different sleep parameters.

"Identifying modifiable risk factors for sleep problems among college and university students is vital and our results suggest that the frequency of …consumption could be a possible target for interventions."

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-energy-linked-poor-quality-insomnia.html 

Students: Is there any way to fix university insomnia while still maintaining a thriving social life?

From theboar.org

By Seven Standen

As a lifelong sufferer of insomnia, I have nothing but sympathy for people who start struggling with sleep once they reach university. It’s one thing to suffer from sleeping problems when you’re used to it — according to a Wellbeing Report by Aviva, two thirds (67%) of UK adults suffer from disrupted sleep — and another to be faced with them for the first time in your life. We all know the common stereotype that students are more likely to be insomniacs, due to both the amount of work there is to do and the stress that comes with it — but it seems to be based on fact. This won’t be surprising to anyone who’s visited University of Warwick’s library in the early hours of the morning and seen exhausted students nursing energy drinks in an effort to stay awake.

Up to 60% of university students suffer from poor quality sleep, with 7.7% meeting the medical diagnosis for insomnia disorder, according to a study by Bielefeld University. This suggests there is some truth behind the idea that students work late into the night, although there may be other factors at play: the most common causes of insomnia are mental health difficulties (stress, anxiety, and depression), taking certain substances (alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine), and an environment that makes it difficult to sleep (uncomfortable bed, noise, and temperature). 

"Adults should aim to have around seven to nine hours of sleep a night, so if you’re getting less than that, you might be a fellow insomniac"

Habits like taking stimulants are common among students, as is the constant stress that pushes them to do so. Additionally, student accommodations are often noisier than your average household and may not be as comfortable to sleep in as your bedroom at home.

You might have insomnia if you find it hard to go to sleep, wake up several times during the night, and find it hard to nap during the day even though you’re tired. Adults should aim to have around seven to nine hours of sleep a night, so if you’re getting less than that, you might be a fellow insomniac. If you only experience symptoms for three months or less — perhaps if you’re worried about an upcoming exam — then you have what is classified as short-term insomnia. Sleeping problems that last longer than that might be long-term insomnia, which you should definitely speak to a doctor about. In that case, you might benefit from therapy or taking medication. But considering most university students have such an active nightlife, is it possible to get a good night’s sleep without sacrificing your social life?

"Aiming to get up at the same time every day, regardless of how you slept the night before, is one of the best ways to avoid dealing with insomnia come night time"

As with most problems students face, the answer is to find a decent balance: you can go out for a few nights a week, as long as you make sure sure you sleep regularly the rest of the time. It’s often best to avoid having a lie-in after a night out, even though it might sound like the worst idea in the world, because it will help you maintain a regular sleeping pattern. Aiming to get up at the same time every day, regardless of how you slept the night before, is one of the best ways to avoid dealing with insomnia come night time. The same is true when it comes to caffeine: ingesting a lot of coffee and energy drinks can be fine, as long as you don’t have any late in the afternoon. It’s worth learning how your body responds to caffeine, as everyone is different.

As cliché as it might sound, cutting down on phone and laptop use before bed is also a great way to regulate your sleeping pattern. You should also fiddle with your settings to adjust the amount of blue light on your screen, (most devices will let you set blue light to reduce later in the day), as it can affect melatonin production and make it harder to fall asleep.

While students may be more likely to struggle with insomnia, there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be able to balance getting enough sleep with an active lifestyle. It might require cutting down a little on your nightlife, just so that you aren’t going out every single night, but that doesn’t mean eliminating nights out entirely. If anything, sleeping a little more might improve your social life — you’ll have much more fun when you’re wide awake and able to concentrate during the day.

https://theboar.org/2023/01/university-insomnia/