Hang in the evening in front of the screen causes sleep disturbances

If you sit in front of the screen for a long time, you sleep significantly worse

Sleep disorders are a common problem associated with different causes. The time spent on the computer, smartphone or in front of the TV in the evenings seems to have had a significant influence, according to a recent evaluation by the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the DIW.

"People who sit in front of a screen until bedtime thanks to a fast DSL access, sleep significantly less and are less satisfied with their overall sleep," according to the result of the current evaluation of the SOEP. Especially young DSL users between the ages of 18 and 30 are affected by potentially harmful sleep deprivation. The current study results were published in a SOEP paper.

What effects does a DSL connection have on sleep??

Many people spend the evenings in front of the computer or the TV and even look in bed a little on their smartphone. The introduction of modern broadband technology gives access to digital media around the clock, which also influences the intensity of use. In order to find out how DSL access and the associated prolonged use of digital media affect sleep, scientists have now analyzed the data of more than 24,000 people interviewed over and over between 2008 and 2012 as part of the long-term study SOEP.

Sleep duration and sleep satisfaction evaluated

Among other things, the subjects answered questions about their average sleep duration and sleep satisfaction. In addition, it was queried whether they had a DSL connection or not. The Italian economists Francesco C. Billari, Osea Giuntella and Luca Stella also included in the evaluation the data of the German Time Use Survey. During this time use survey carried out by the Federal Statistical Office, exactly 5,457 people were logged at 10-minute intervals during the course of a day.

On average, the Germans sleep just under 7 hours on weekdays

According to the researchers, the evaluation of SOEP data showed that adults aged 18-59 years on average sleep 6.8 hours during the week and 7.9 hours on weekends. From a medical perspective, a healthy sleep duration of seven to nine hours should be considered healthy. The current study also showed that DSL users sleep on average 25 minutes per night less than people without a DSL connection. They also experience their sleep significantly more often than inadequate and less satisfactory.

Particularly serious effects on younger people

Study author Luca Stella of the Bocconi University in Milan concludes in the current communication that "in particular, the sleep of younger people under the age of 30 who use a DSL connection is at risk." They show an average of 70 Minutes less sleeping time than peers without DSL access. In addition, the average probability that they indicated in the SOEP survey, to suffer from lack of sleep, increased by about 40 percent.

Among the DSL users between the ages of 30 and 59 years, according to the scientists PC and smartphone are also significant sleep disruptors. "Using these devices for half an hour at bedtime increases the likelihood that they will sleep a maximum of 6 hours - and thus sleep less than experts recommend - by 30 percent," according to the study results release.

Who can sleep in, has no problems

Only for a population group, the study brings, according to the scientists a very good news. Because the sleep of people who do not have to get up early in the morning, will not be affected by the use of media late at night. You can accordingly sleep in and compensate for the lack of sleep from the evening before the next morning sufficient, the study authors report. (Fp)