Yep, Social Media Use Is Messing Up Your Sleep Cycle

Here’s yet another study to convince you to cut down on your smartphone consumption. Quartz is reporting on a study from the University of Pittsburgh which found regularly checking your social media accounts is impacting the amount of sleep you get every night. The researchers looked at young adults who are active on various social networks?and found those who spend a chunk of their day scrolling and communicating get less sleep than other people. Unsurprisingly, those who spent the most time on social media?found it the hardest to sleep.

More than 1,700 adults between the ages of 19 and 32 were surveyed over 18 months. They were asked about their sleeping patterns and the amount of time they spent on social media. The median time reported was 61 minutes spent on social media every day with people ?checking? social media accounts 30 times a week. 60% of those surveyed said they were having ‘some or a lot of trouble sleeping through the night.?

Recognise yourself?

30% of those who spent a least 121 minutes a day surfing social media sites and checked in 58 times on average – one fifth of participants – reported a ??a high degree of difficulty sleeping.?

The study is keen to stress it isn’t making a clear link between sleep struggles and social media use – did people check social media because they weren’t sleeping or were they not sleeping because of social media? However, we have a feeling that a study in the near future will enlighten us even more as to this very modern phenomenon.

Do you think phones are affecting sleeping patterns in general?

?Via Quartz