Evening and night exposure to screens of media devices and its association with subjectively perceived sleep

Originally published by Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation, 18 March 2020

Sleep is important for the physical, social, and mental well-being of humans. 

Sleep has received growing attention over the years and has been shown to have an important influence on many biological processes such as inflammation, glucose regulation, appetite, and energy expenditure, as well as psychological processes such as memory consolidation and attention. 

The aim of this study was to test healthy population for the use of screen-based devices during evening and night hours and its association with subjectively perceived sleep quality and other sleep-related parameters. 

This study found a significant association between screen exposure and sleep inertia, suggesting that light in the evening may not only increase cortical arousal during evening hours, but has the ability to influence one's alertness the following morning.

Results suggest that light hygiene in the general population should be given more attention not only in the context of clinical sleep medicine but also in the realm of public health.

Read the full study.