Increased Risk of Insomnia Linked to One-Hour Screen Time Before Bed; Experts Suggest Limiting Devices Half an Hour Prior to Sleep
4 April 2025 路 Uncategorized 路
Source: 路 https://ccc.technews.tw/2025/04/04/one-hour-of-screen-time-before-bed/
A recent study shows that using electronic devices to watch screens one hour before bed increases the risk of insomnia by 59% and reduces average sleep time by 24 minutes. Conducted in Norway, a large-scale survey involving 45,202 young adults found that regardless of what purpose the device is used for鈥攚hether browsing social media, watching videos or reading鈥攖he use of electronic devices affects sleep quality.
The study was led by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and published on March 31st in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland from the institute explained that screen usage before bed mainly impacts sleep through a time displacement effect where activities involving screens take up what would otherwise be restful periods.
Covering data from Norway's Student Health and Well-being Survey of 2022, with participants aged between 18 to 28 years old, it showed an increase in the likelihood of insomnia symptoms by 59% when using a screen for one hour before bed, along with a reduction in sleep time averaging at 24 minutes.
The HKU Sleep Lab from The University of Hong Kong previously mentioned that blue light emitted from screens might affect circadian rhythms and delay bedtime. This aligns well with the findings presented by Norwegian researchers.
Screen activities were categorized into three types: using social media only, other non-social-media related activities, or a mix including both kinds of activity. Data showed no significant difference in impact on sleep quality among these categories, contradicting expectations that more interactive social media use would be worse for sleep.
Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland suggests considering stopping screen usage 30 to 60 minutes before bed and turning off notifications if one is experiencing poor-quality sleep. The team acknowledges the study cannot definitively prove causation between screen time and insomnia, or whether insomniacs are more likely to use screens.
Additionally, as this research focuses on Norwegian culture without physiological data support, its conclusions may not fully apply globally.
(Translated from Unwire HK; Image source: Shutterstock)
The study was led by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and published on March 31st in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland from the institute explained that screen usage before bed mainly impacts sleep through a time displacement effect where activities involving screens take up what would otherwise be restful periods.
Covering data from Norway's Student Health and Well-being Survey of 2022, with participants aged between 18 to 28 years old, it showed an increase in the likelihood of insomnia symptoms by 59% when using a screen for one hour before bed, along with a reduction in sleep time averaging at 24 minutes.
The HKU Sleep Lab from The University of Hong Kong previously mentioned that blue light emitted from screens might affect circadian rhythms and delay bedtime. This aligns well with the findings presented by Norwegian researchers.
Screen activities were categorized into three types: using social media only, other non-social-media related activities, or a mix including both kinds of activity. Data showed no significant difference in impact on sleep quality among these categories, contradicting expectations that more interactive social media use would be worse for sleep.
Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland suggests considering stopping screen usage 30 to 60 minutes before bed and turning off notifications if one is experiencing poor-quality sleep. The team acknowledges the study cannot definitively prove causation between screen time and insomnia, or whether insomniacs are more likely to use screens.
Additionally, as this research focuses on Norwegian culture without physiological data support, its conclusions may not fully apply globally.
(Translated from Unwire HK; Image source: Shutterstock)