Sleep Quality and Social Media

Question: How does social media impact sleep quality? How can you optimize sleep quality to benefit your mental health the most?

Answer: Sleep is an essential part of health for all people, especially children and adolescents. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommends that children 6-13 years of age get 9-11 hours of sleep per night, and adolescents 14-17 years of age get 8-10 hours per night. Not getting enough quality sleep has a variety of risks for children and adolescents, including:   

• Having trouble thinking clearly  
• Poorer academic performance   
• Feeling less awake or aware  
• Depressed mood  
• Anxiety symptoms  
• Obesity  

Therefore, anything that gets in the way of sleep, including smart phones, can be a risk.   

The B-SATED model, which stands for Behavior, Satisfaction, Alertness, Timing, Efficiency, and Duration, is a comprehensive model designed to optimize sleep health for youth and adolescents by addressing six dimensions. It was adapted from an earlier model of sleep health in adults. Below is a description of each of the B-SATED components and how technology may interact with it:  

• Sleep-related behaviors include factors that help promote sleep, such as a consistent sleep schedule, bedtime routine, and those that could negatively impact sleep, such as caffeine and technology use in the hour before bed.  
• Satisfaction with sleep is a subjective feeling of whether the person thought their sleep was good or bad in quality. Phones and other electronic devices overall can play a factor into an individual’s perceived quality of their sleep. If they are being kept awake and distracted by their phone, they may report less satisfaction with sleep quality.  
• Alertness means the ability to remain alert and awake during the day. A cross-sectional survey study of 4153 U.S. adolescents ages 12-17 years, found that adolescents who posted on or checked social media more frequently and adolescents who perceived social media to be more important for social belonging had higher levels of daytime sleepiness.  
• Timing of sleep refers to when the person goes to bed and wakes up with a regular routine that aligns with natural sleep cycles showing the best results. A review article on the current state of the research on screen use and sleep, found several studies that suggested adolescents may postpone bedtime so that they can continue using their device for entertainment (behavioral bedtime delay). When adolescents postpone sleep, they may not be able to also postpone their wake-up time if they have school in the morning, which can lead to short sleep.  
• Sleep efficiency refers to how easy it is for one to fall asleep and return to sleep if they wake in the middle of the night. Phone alerts may interfere with sleep efficiency.  
• Sleep duration refers to the total amount of sleep a person gets per day. The number of recommended hours an individual should get changes across development.  

Here are a few tips teens can use to promote healthy sleep habits:  

• Consider putting your phone on the charger somewhere where you can’t reach it from your bed to avoid waking up throughout the night to check your phone.   
  • You can also use your phone settings to silence notifications at night.   
• Work to build a bedtime routine that does not include social media for the hour before bedtime.   
  • Consider showering, choosing an outfit for the next day, reading, journaling, listening to a podcast, or doing art.  
  • Build in time for social media earlier in the evening.   
• Participate in physical activity along with healthy eating to remain alert and aware during the day.  
• Aim for the recommended amount of sleep each night based on age and development.  
  •  Try to keep the same routine each night to coincide with natural sleep-wake rhythms. 

References  

• Brambilla, P., Giussani, M., Pasinato, A., Venturelli, L., Privitera, F., Miraglia Del Giudice, E., Sollai, S., Picca, M., Di Mauro, G., Bruni, O., Chiappini, E., & “Ci piace sognare” Study Group (2017). Sleep habits and pattern in 1-14 years old children and relationship with video devices use and evening and night child activities. Italian journal of pediatrics, 43(1), 7.    
• Buxton, O. M., Chang, A. M., Spilsbury, J. C., Bos, T., Emsellem, H., & Knutson, K. L. (2015). Sleep in the modern family: protective family routines for child and adolescent sleep. Sleep health, 1(1), 15–27.   
• Buysse, D. J. (2014). Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter?. Sleep, 37(1), 9-17.  
• Hale, L. et al (2018). Youth screen media habits and sleep. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 27(2); 229-245.     
• Hamilton, J. L., & Lee, W. (2021). Associations between social media, bedtime technology use rules, and daytime sleepiness among adolescents: Cross-sectional findings from a nationally representative sample. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 8(9).     
• Hirshkowitz et al (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s updated sleep duration recommendations: Final report. Sleep Health, 1(4); 233-343.     
• Meltzer, L. J., Williamson, A. A., & Mindell, J. A. (2021). Pediatric sleep health: It matters, and so does how we define it. Sleep medicine reviews, 57, 101425.  
• Pagano, M., Bacaro, V., & Crocetti, E. (2023). “Using digital media or sleeping… that is the question”. A meta-analysis on digital media use and unhealthy sleep in adolescence. Computers in Human Behavior, 107813.   
• Power, S., Taylor, C., & Horton, K. (2017). Sleepless in school? The social dimensions of young people’s bedtime rest and routines. Journal of Youth Studies, 20(8), 945–958.   

Age: 10-18  

Topics: Adolescence, social media, sleep quality, mental health  

Role: Teen