Almost every night before I slip into my comforter and call it a day, I do something that is said to offset the ability to fall asleep fast; this would be watching television. Many people’s nightly routine consists of watching T.V, however studies have shown how television before bed can take a negative toll on children’s sleep.
Research that was done at the University of Auckland in New Zealand demonstrated that the more television a child watched, the later they fell asleep. The design of the study involved 2,016 children between the ages of 5 and 18. As part of the study, the participants were asked to explain what they did 90 minutes before sleeping and categorized their activities into self-care, non-screen sedentary time, and screen sedentary time. Researchers also took into account the “sleep onset” of the children. The categories for this included very early, early, late, and very late.
From the study, it was reported that watching television before bed was the most common activity amongst all of the study participants. On average, about 30 minutes was spent watching T.V. of the 90 minutes before sleep. In addition, the study found that the study participants who went to bed later had 13 more minutes of screen time before sleep than the participants who went to bed earlier.
So why is it that watching television causes us to fall asleep later than we normally would if we were not to watch T.V? Russell Rosenberg, who is the director of The Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and Technology, explains that the delayed ability to fall asleep is caused in part from the light of television screens. The light prevents the hormone melatonin from telling our brain when it is time to sleep. A poll from the National Sleep Foundation found that 43% of Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 reported that they did not get an adequate amount of sleep on weeknights and more than 60% said they had a sleep problem either every night or almost every night. These statistics do not pose as surprising considering how vast the use of technology is in America.
Since the aforementioned study is observational and since correlation does not equal causation, researchers cannot prove that watching television before bed directly causes a delay in a person’s ability to fall asleep. In addition, this study cannot rule out confounding variables. The study participants who took longer to fall asleep may have eaten or drank something that would’ve caused them to stay up longer (such as caffeine).
Although it is not certain that watching television is the reason that people may have more trouble falling asleep, I have noticed from personal experience that when I watch television or use my phone before bed, it actually does take longer for me to fall asleep.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/tv-kids-sleep-screen-time_n_2480213.html
I remember when I was little I asked my parents to buy me a television for my room, my dad was very quick to say no. After reading your blog, I now understand why my dad answered the way he did. Personally, when I am on my phone before going to bed I tend to get more tired. According to this study, it should have the opposite effect on me. I found website that acts as a counter-example to what the study you researched found. According to http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/health/article/12-surprising-things-that-are-making-you-tired-896009.php TV tends to make people blink less, which leads to put people in the mood for shut-eye. So I suppose TV could possibly be good to watch before going to bed.
I have heard that watching TV, looking at your phone, iPad, tablet, or computer hinder your ability to sleep. Personally, I do find it harder to fall asleep when I am trying to fall asleep when the TV is on or when I am constantly checking my phone. In the article “Smartphone Use At Night Hurts Sleep And Workplace Productivity: Study”, it says that any use of a person’s phone after 9 p.m. disrupts their ability of sleeping. People and especially younger kids and teenagers, do not put their phones down until they literally fall asleep at night. It is weird to think about. One night I am going to try to not use my phone past 9:00 p.m. and see if I get a better sleep!
My parents always yelled at me for watching TV before bed, but I never listened because I never really believed them. I complained all the time about being an insomniac before I realized that they were right. I did a bunch of research on this on my own when I found out that the reason for my sleep deprivation was due to watching TV before bed, and I learned that a person should turn off their TV anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before they turn off their lights and go to sleep. REI (https://www.stronginstitute.com/resources/sleep-hygiene-tips-for-the-rei-sleep-program/habits-that-support-optimal-sleep.html) claims that this habit will result with the best sleep.
After a long day, you can find me cuddled up into bed with the TV on watching my favorite show or a movie. “A US study found that 21475 adults found TV viewing was far and away the most dominant pre-sleep activity – accounting for almost 50 percent of pre-bed time.” It’s not uncommon to want to unwind and relax at the end of the day, but you are right, it does cause sleep issues and health issues. Sleep deprivation is becoming more and more common. Dr Mathias Basner says “watching less television in the evening and postponing work start time in the morning appear to be the candidate behavioural changes for achieving additional sleep and reducing chronic sleep debt.” If more people choose to turn the TV off, they will be getting the rest they deserve!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/5483296/TV-before-bed-causes-chronic-health-problems-study-claims.html
So many times I’ve heard people say that they use their phone or watch tv before bed to make them more tired so that they will fall asleep. They say it makes their eyes tired so then they fall asleep faster. But like you said, the light from the tv is actually a detriment not a benefactor. What are the effects if people fall asleep with the tv on? Is that bad for you as well? Even though watching tv seems mindless, your brain is still working and keeping you active when you should be resting. This article says that the light seeps into your eyes and actually prevents you from getting a good nights sleep!