A recent study has examined the effects of media watching before bed. The study was published in the Journal of Sleep Research. The effects of prolonged screen time are no secret. All of us have stayed up late into the night, binge-watching movies or web series or simply just scrolling through social media. Doctors have long been warning us about the strains we cause our eyes with these habits.
In the research, 58 adults maintained a diary that recorded information related to time spent with media before bed, location of use, and multitasking. Tests like electroencephalography captured parameters such as bedtime, total sleep time, and sleep quality. Media use in the hour before sleep was associated with an earlier bedtime. If the before-bed use did not involve multitasking and was conducted in bed, it was also associated with more total sleep time.
Lead author Morgan Ellithorpe of the University of Delaware, said, “If you are going to use media, like watching TV or listening to music, before bed, keep it a short, focused session and you are unlikely to experience any negative outcomes in your sleep that night.”
