scholarly journals Changes of evening exposure to electronic devices during the COVID-19 lockdown affect the time course of sleep disturbances

Author(s):  
Federico Salfi ◽  
Giulia Amicucci ◽  
Domenico Corigliano ◽  
Aurora D’Atri ◽  
Lorenzo Viselli ◽  
...  

AbstractStudy ObjectivesDuring the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a worldwide increase in electronic devices’ daily usage. The exposure to backlit screens before falling asleep leads to negative consequences on sleep health through its influence on the circadian system. We investigated the relationship between the changes in evening screen exposure and the time course of sleep disturbances during the home confinement period due to COVID-19.Methods2123 Italians were longitudinally tested during the third and the seventh week of lockdown. The web-based survey evaluated sleep quality and insomnia symptoms through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Insomnia Severity Index. During the second assessment, respondents reported the changes in the backlit screen exposure in the two hours before falling asleep.ResultsParticipants who increased electronic device usage showed decreased sleep quality, exacerbated insomnia symptoms, reduced sleep duration, higher sleep onset latency, and delayed bedtime and rising time. In this subgroup, the prevalence of poor sleepers and clinical insomniacs increased. Conversely, respondents reporting decreased screen exposure exhibited improved sleep quality and insomnia symptoms. In this subgroup, the prevalence of poor sleepers and clinical insomniacs decreased. Respondents preserving their screen time habits did not show any change in the sleep parameters.ConclusionsOur investigation demonstrated a strong relationship between the modifications of the evening electronic device usage and the time course of sleep disturbances during the lockdown period. Interventions to raise public awareness about the risks of excessive exposure to backlit screens are necessary to prevent sleep disturbances and foster well-being during the home confinement due to COVID-19.Statement of SignificanceThe present investigation is the first to provide insights about the relationship between the changes in evening electronic device usage and the time course of sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 lockdown. Consistent with the well-known negative effect of backlit screen lights on circadian physiology, we demonstrated a strong relationship between the screen time modifications in the hours before falling asleep, the development and exacerbation of sleep disturbances, and the changes of sleep/wake patterns during the period of home confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic. To date, hundreds of thousands of people are subjected to restraining measures worldwide. Our findings have large scale and broad-spectrum implications, considering the unavoidable increase of electronic device usage during the current period of limited social interactions.

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Salfi ◽  
Giulia Amicucci ◽  
Domenico Corigliano ◽  
Aurora D’Atri ◽  
Lorenzo Viselli ◽  
...  

Abstract Study Objectives During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, there was a worldwide increase in electronic devices’ daily usage. Prolonged exposure to backlit screens before sleep influences the circadian system leading to negative consequences on sleep health. We investigated the relationship between changes in evening screen exposure and the time course of sleep disturbances during the home confinement period due to COVID-19. Methods 2,123 Italians (mean age ± standard deviation, 33.1 ± 11.6) were tested longitudinally during the third and the seventh week of lockdown. The web-based survey evaluated sleep quality and insomnia symptoms through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Insomnia Severity Index. The second assessment survey inquired about intervening changes in backlit screen exposure in the two hours before falling asleep. Results Participants who increased electronic device usage showed decreased sleep quality, exacerbated insomnia symptoms, reduced sleep duration, prolonged sleep onset latency, and delayed bedtime and rising time. In this subgroup, the prevalence of poor sleepers and individuals reporting moderate/severe insomnia symptoms increased. Conversely, respondents reporting decreased screen exposure exhibited improved sleep quality and insomnia symptoms. In this subgroup, the prevalence of poor sleepers and moderate/severe insomniacs decreased. Respondents preserving screen time habits did not show variations of the sleep parameters. Conclusions Our investigation demonstrated a strong relationship between modifications of evening electronic device usage and time course of sleep disturbances during the lockdown period. Monitoring the potential impact of excessive evening exposure to backlit screens on sleep health is recommendable during the current period of restraining measures due to COVID-19.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mohamad Moosavi ◽  
Mahshid Ahmadi ◽  
Javad Setareh ◽  
Mani B.Monajemi

Objectives: Sleep has been one of God’s most precious blessings since human’s existence and it is vital for both body and soul. External and internal factors like age, sex, drug, illness, psychological pressure, job, life style and Earth’s magnetic field influence quality of sleep drastically. In this study we tended to find the relationship between geographical direction during sleeping process and quality of sleep. Methods: In a cross-sectional descriptive study, 200 students from university of Iran, Mazandaran province were selected arbitrarily. After exclusion, based on exclusion criteria, the number of research’s samples reached to 153. Tools used regarding collecting data were standard Pittsburg sleep quality inventory (PSQI) in order to assess the quality of the sleep. Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL- 90-R) was used in order to study psychiatric symptoms and an anonymous demographic questionnaire was used to record personal information, filled by individuals. Software Spss17 with chi-square were used for statistical analysis procedure. Results: 30.7%(47cases) slept in north-south direction, 22.8%(35) in south north, 26.2%(40) in east west and 20.3%(31) in west east. Among PSQI sleep scales, there was a strong relationship between difficulties in falling asleep with geographical directions of sleep (p<0.001). No significant relationship between sleep directions and other scales has been found. Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of sleep difficulties and strong relationship between geographical directions and quality of sleep. With respect to this study, sleep in north-south position can be advised to improve sleep quality and it necessary in order to maintain sleep hygiene.


2017 ◽  
pp. 125-130
Author(s):  
Minh Tam Nguyen ◽  
Phuc Thanh Nhan Nguyen ◽  
Thi Thuy Hang Nguyen

The increasing use of smartphone among young people is creating negative effects and is an important public health problem in many countries. Smartphone abuse and addiction may cause physical and psychological disorders among users. However, the awarenes on this issue has been inadequate due to lacking of evidence. Objectives: To describe the current situation of smartphone using among students at highschools and universities in Hue city and to examine the relationship between smartphone using and sleep disturbances and psychological disstress among participants. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a randomly selected sample of 1,150 students at highschools and universities in Hue city. SAS-SV scale was used to evaluate phone addiction status, K10 scale was used for psychological distress assessment and PSQI scale was used to examine the sleep quality. Results: The proportion of students at highschools and universities having smartphones was 78.0%. The rate of smartphone addiction among high school students was 49.1% and that among university students was 43.7%. There was 57.3% of high school students had poor sleep quality, and that of university students was 51.6%. There was a statistically significant association between smartphone addiction and sleep disturbances and psychological disstress among participants (p <0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of smartphone addiction among students at highschools and universities is alarming and is related to sleep disturbances and psychological disstress among participants. There is a strong call to develop intervention to help students to aware and manage the use of smartphone effectively.


Author(s):  
Yaxuan Zhang ◽  
Jiwei Wang ◽  
Xinyuan Lu ◽  
Beibei Che ◽  
Jinming Yu

This study aimed to investigate prolonged screen time and using electronic devices before sleep and their associated factors in elderly people in Shaanxi province of China. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 2647 elderly participants aged 60–88 years. Data were collected through questionnaires. Demographic characteristics, screen time, using electronic devices before sleep, health status, lifestyles, sleep quality, and other associated factors were investigated. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the associated factors of screen time and using electronic devices before sleep. The crude odds ratio (cOR) and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. A total of 1784 subjects completed the questionnaire. There were 6.89% participants with prolonged screen time and 13.45% using electronic devices before sleep frequently. Prolonged screen time was associated with personal monthly income (aOR = 1.205, p = 0.001), number of household residents (aOR = 0.860, p = 0.010), rural residents (aOR = 0.617, p = 0.038), and regular drinkers (aOR = 2.889, p < 0.001). Using electronic devices before sleep was associated with being female (aOR = 0.657, p = 0.007), family monthly income (aOR = 0.866, p = 0.002), being an occasional drinker (aOR = 1.891, p = 0.005), and self-reported sleep quality (aOR = 1.593, p = 0.007). In conclusion, several factors related to screen time or using electronic devices before sleep were identified. Only being a drinker was a common associated factor for both screen time and using electronic devices before sleep.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
EunJu Song

Many patients with alcohol use disorder experienced insomnia or sleep disturbances. However, their sleep problems rarely addressed in the treatment process. It may prove beneficial if treatment programs should intend to help prevent the recurrence of alcohol use disorder by solving patients&rsquo; sleep-induced problems and accordingly include appropriate sleep interventions. The present study employed a descriptive design and conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the relationship among sleep quality, score on the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES), abstinence self-efficacy, and quality of life in inpatients with alcohol use disorders. Data were collected from June to August 2018, from 117 patients admitted to the psychiatric ward for alcohol-use patients in two mental hospitals in South Korea. Sleep quality was significantly correlated with the SOCRATES score (r = .247, p = .007) and quality of life (r = -.346, p = .001). However, it showed no relationship with abstinence self-efficacy (r = -.066, p = .477). These findings suggest that abstinence programs need to employ a comprehensive approach instead of primarily focusing on maintaining abstinence and cessation of alcohol use. However, both sleep disturbances and alcohol abstinence require patience and prolonged treatment. Thus, it is a challenge to design concrete interventions to address the sleep problems experienced by patients with alcohol use disorder.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-107
Author(s):  
Reona Chiba ◽  
Yuki Ohashi ◽  
Akiko Ozaki

Purpose Several epidemiological studies have reported an age-related increase in the prevalence of sleep disturbances. This study aims to investigate the relationship between sleep and sarcopenia/frailty in older adults and clarify issues that remain to be addressed in future studies. Design/methodology/approach PubMed was searched for relevant studies with the following keywords in the title: “sleep” and “sarcopenia” or “sleep” and “frailty.” A total of 15 studies published in English between 1998 and 2018 were reviewed. Findings Among the four studies that examined the relationship between sarcopenia and sleep, two reported that long or short sleep duration increased the risk of sarcopenia and this association was more pronounced in women than men. Among the seven studies examining the relationship between frailty and sleep, four reported that higher Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores were associated with an increased risk of frailty. Practical implications Most previous studies have focused on interventions targeting a single area such as muscle strength or exercise habits, in older adults at risk for frailty. The results suggest that interventions targeting improved sleep may positively impact the maintenance of muscle strength. Originality/value The literature review revealed that too much or too little sleep increases the risk of sarcopenia in older adults. Further, sleep deprivation, greater night-time wakefulness and reduced sleep quality increase the risk of frailty. Interestingly, the risk of mortality is increased in individuals with daytime functional disorders such as excessive drowsiness or napping habits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 923-923
Author(s):  
Walker N ◽  
Scott T ◽  
Spellman J ◽  
Rivera J ◽  
Waltzman D ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Reviewed literature suggests that individuals with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) demonstrate cognitive deficits in attention, learning/memory, and executive functions. Less is known regarding the relationship between sleep disturbance and language abilities among individuals with PTSD. We hypothesized that subjective perceptions of PTSD-related sleep disturbance would impact language generativity in Veterans with PTSD. Methods 38 individuals (mean age = 46.58, SD = 13.55; 10% female) were administered a brief neurocognitive battery including measures of verbal generativity [i.e., Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System: Verbal fluency subtest], PTSD symptoms (i.e., clinically significant PTSD = &gt; 35 on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-IV), self-report measures of sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory; PSQI), and PTSD-related sleep disturbances (PSQI – Addendum for PTSD). All participants had a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). An analysis of covariance was used to assess the contribution of PTSD-related sleep disturbance on verbal fluency in Veterans with PTSD. Post-hoc analyses were conducted. Results Those without PTSD performed better on letter fluency than those with PTSD (p=.019). There was no significant effect of PTSD (presence or absence) on letter fluency performance after controlling for subjective sleep quality, F(1, 35) = 1.43, p = .239. Follow up analyses failed to show any associations between PTSD and other cognitive measures. Conclusions PTSD related sleep disturbance accounts for a significant portion of the variance in the relationship between PTSD and verbal generativity. Individuals with a history of mTBI and current PTSD symptoms, may have worse verbal generativity but is partially accounted for by PTSD related sleep disturbance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1680-1686
Author(s):  
Eka Adithia Pratiwi ◽  
Lestari Ananda ◽  
Baik Heni Rispawati ◽  
Rias Pratiwi Safitri

Around 1.5 billion children have been dismissed from school due to the outbreak of Covid-19,as a result of which many of them are spending more time using electronic devices during the lockdown.According to data from the American Children's Academy, 75% of 9-10 year olds experience sleep deprivation due to unsupervised use of technology.The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between gadget use and sleep quality in school age children.This study used a correlation design with a cross sectional approach.The data collection tool used a questionnaire. Data analysis used the Spearman-rho test.The results of this study found that there was no relationship between the use of gadgets and the quality of sleep during the Covid-19 pandemic with a P-Value of 0.653> 0.05 (insignificant). Recommend that parents can increase their activities and activities with children,such as involving children in home activities and exercising together to distract children from gadgets.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onala Telford ◽  
Clarissa J Diamantidis ◽  
Hayden B Bosworth ◽  
Uptal D Patel ◽  
Clemontina A Davenport ◽  
...  

Objectives Data suggest that poor sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) contributes to suboptimal diabetes control. How the subscales comprising the PSQI individually relate to diabetes control is poorly understood. Methods In order to explore how PSQI subscales relate to diabetes control, we analyzed baseline data from a trial of a telemedicine intervention for diabetes. We used multivariable modeling to examine: (1) the relationship between the global PSQI and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); (2) the relationships between the 7 PSQI subscales and HbA1c; and (3) medication nonadherence as a possible mediating factor. Results Global PSQI was not associated with HbA1c ( n = 279). Only one PSQI subscale, sleep disturbances, was associated with HbA1c after covariate adjustment; HbA1c increased by 0.4 points for each additional sleep disturbances subscale point (95%CI 0.1 to 0.8). Although the sleep disturbances subscale was associated with medication nonadherence (OR 2.04, 95%CI 1.27 to 3.30), a mediation analysis indicated nonadherence does not mediate the sleep disturbances-HbA1c relationship. Discussion The sleep disturbances subscale may drive the previously observed relationship between PSQI and HbA1c. The mechanism for the relationship between sleep disturbances and HbA1c remains unclear, as does the impact on HbA1c of addressing sleep disturbances.


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