Bedtime Texting Bad for Sleep
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 7, 2010— -- Kids who send text messages or use the Internet right before bed may suffer poorer sleep at night as well as mood and cognitive problems during the day, according to results of a pilot study.
Text messaging and other electronic communication media were linked to excessive movement during sleep, insomnia, and leg pain at night in students ages 8 to 22, Dr. Peter G. Polos of JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J., and colleagues found.
Use of these technologies after bedtime was also associated with "high rates of daytime cognitive or mood problems ... including ADHD, anxiety, depression, learning difficulties," according to the report slated for presentation here at the CHEST meeting on Wednesday.
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More confirmation of these effects is needed, but the preliminary results suggest that electronic media provide stimulation that runs counter to good sleep hygiene.
The graphics and rapid responses involved provide more interaction than passively watching television, Polos' group noted.
"Such activity should be monitored," they told conference attendees in the study abstract. "Attempts at limiting use at bedtime appear to be reasonable."
They suggested that parents set appropriate times for text messaging and other technology use and take proactive steps like moving computers out of the bedroom.
For physicians, the message is to consider electronic media use in routine evaluation of patients with trouble sleeping, they added.
That recommendation got the agreement of American College of Chest Physicians president Dr. David D. Gutterman of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
"The prevalence of insomnia and other sleep disorders is cause for great concern, given their potential consequences on a child's ability to function in school," he said in a press release. "Research shows that the problem is increasing, so it is more important than ever for physicians to ask questions about technology use when evaluating children for sleep issues."
