Washington : All those hours on the social media are actually making your sleep go for a toss, according to a recent study.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine research found that young adults, who spend a lot of time on the social media during the day or check it frequently throughout the week are more likely to suffer sleep disturbances than their peers who use social media less.
The study indicates that physicians should consider asking young adult patients about social media habits when assessing sleep issues. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Lead author Jessica C. Levenson said that this is one of the first pieces of evidence that social media use really can impact your sleep and it uniquely examines the association between social media use and sleep among young adults who are, arguably, the first generation to grow up with social media.
Senior author Brian A. Primack emphasized that more study is needed, particularly to determine whether social media use contributes to sleep disturbance, whether sleep disturbance contributes to social media use – or both.
For example, social media may disturb sleep if it is – displacing sleep, such as when a user stays up late posting photos on Instagram; promoting emotional, cognitive or physiological arousal, such as when engaging in a contentious discussion on Facebook; and disrupting circadian rhythms through the bright light emitted by the devices used to access social media accounts.
Alternatively, young adults who have difficulty sleeping may subsequently use social media as a pleasurable way to pass the time when they can’t fall asleep or return to sleep.
The study is published online in the journal Preventive Medicine. (ANI)