7
AASM Membership Sections Newsletter
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Issue #7
American Academy of
Sleep Medicine
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SMART PHONE AND SLEEP
ZHAOMING CHEN, MD, PHD
More than half of adolescents have used electronic devices in
their bedroom, prior to sleep. They are watching TV, playing
video game, surfing online, texting and listening to music. Mobile
phones are used for multiple purposes such as texting or alarms
1
.
For some people, smart phones are the last things they touch
before sleeping, and the first they touch upon awakening. Mobile
phones serve as multi-function units for phone, internet, GPS,
camera, music, movie, and more. These mobile phones are so
smart that they can even help us stay healthy.
There are a number of mobile apps designed for treating
insomnia. They either broadcast relaxation background music,
or monitor sleep pattern overnight. Moreover, these apps can
educate insomniacs basic cognitive-behavior therapy knowledge
and techniques.
However, growing evidences indicate that evening use of
smart phones has a negative impact on sleep quality. The sleep
onset is delayed. People have difficulty waking up the next
morning. They feel drowsy during the day, resulting in poor
performance. A study done of college students found that the
sleep quality decreases as the night usage of mobile phone
addictive level increases
2
. People feel sleepy and drowsy the
next day, and coffee consumption goes up.
Based upon the recommendation for cognitive behavior
therapy insomnia, all electronic devices should be removed
from the bedroom. It is believed that electronic devices, if left
in the bedroom, are interfering with sleep quality.
Here comes a dilemma: we are contraindicating ourselves. This
is a question of ‘to leave or not to leave the mobile phone in
the bedroom? And why?
An Australian team conducted a survey on more than one
thousand middle and high school volunteer students. These
interviewers were asked if they are surfing online on a
computer, watching TV, using mobile phones, or listening to
radio prior to sleep. If users just left these electronic devices
in the bedroom without actively using them, there was no
significantly negative impact on their weekday and weekend
sleep pattern. If they used a computer or mobile phone
actively prior to sleep every night, they tended to fall asleep
later in weekday or weekend, leading to short sleep duration.
Mobile phone and computer users were disrupted mostly in
terms of their sleep pattern. Although people listened to radio
as frequently as they watched TV, those listening to radio did
not have any changes in their sleep pattern
3
.
As we know, mobile phones and computers require full
attention from users. There is difficulty quickly switching the
brain from a highly alert and active status to a quiet sleep
status. Thus the sleep onset is delayed and the sleep pattern
is disrupted. Although visualizing TV does not involve any
interaction, the bright light emitted from large screen does
halter the release of melatonin. Hence TV watchers have
delayed weekend sleep onset. Listening to radio a in the dark
room let people sleep uneventfully and peacefully.
Now, we can answer the question we ask ourselves. Yes, we
can leave mobile phones in the bedroom. We can listen to
soft music, or follow the instruction of relaxation techniques
played by mobile phones. Time is also important. As long as
you limit mobile phone hours prior to, but not at bed time,
your sleep pattern will not be twisted.
