If you’re reading this in bed on your phone, you’re not alone. Lots of people use their phones before and beyond bedtime, especially young adults and teens.
Still, you might want to call it a night soon (after you finish reading this, of course). Extended screen time before bed – or in bed – is widely suspected to disrupt sleep, although key details about the dynamic remain unclear.
In a new study, researchers tried to shed more light on the issue, using data from a large survey of 45,202 university students in Norway.
Screen time in bed is associated with 59 percent higher odds of insomnia, the study found, leading to 24 fewer minutes of total sleep per night.
But people use screens in many ways, some of which may affect sleep more than others. Would TV sabotage your slumber as much as social media?
Some previous studies suggest social media is especially bad for sleep, even more than other types of screen time. Yet little research has directly compared various screen-based activities and their impact on sleep.
Most studies that have done so focused on teenagers, the researchers note.
The new study features a slightly older demographic, ranging in age from 18 to 28, and draws from vast data collected for the Students’ Health and Well-being Study 2022, a nationally representative study of Norwegian students.
The survey contains demographic information about students as well as several health and lifestyle factors, including screen use and sleep.
“Sleep problems are highly prevalent among students and have significant implications for mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being, but previous studies have primarily focused on adolescents,” says Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland, clinical psychologist at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
“Given the widespread use of screens in bed, we aimed to explore the relationship between different screen activities and sleep patterns,” she says. “We expected that social media use might be more strongly associated with poorer sleep, given its interactive nature and potential for emotional stimulation.”
According to the findings, however, social media use was no more of a hindrance to sleep than other screen-based activities.
“The type of screen activity does not appear to matter as much as the overall time spent using screens in bed,” Hjetland says.
“We found no significant differences between social media and other screen activities, suggesting that screen use itself is the key factor in sleep disruption – likely due to time displacement, where screen use delays sleep by taking up time that would otherwise be spent resting.”
Participants reported whether they used any electronic media in bed, and for how long. They specified if they were watching movies or TV, checking social media, browsing the internet, listening to audio, gaming, or reading study-related content.
The researchers grouped these into three broader categories: just social media, no social media, or social media plus other screen-based activities.
In addition, participants reported their bedtimes and rising times, how long it took them to fall asleep, how often they struggled to fall or stay asleep, how often they felt sleepy during the day, and duration of their sleep troubles.
Those reporting more post-bedtime screen time were much more likely to report symptoms of insomnia, the study found.
The specific activity seemed to matter less than total screen time, suggesting screen use might curtail sleep by displacing rest rather than boosting wakefulness.
There are some notable caveats. The sample size is large, for example, yet lacks the cultural diversity to make the findings broadly generalizable.
The study also grouped many screen-based activities together, obscuring possible nuance in narrower categories.
And while the study shows correlation, it can’t reveal causality. People checking social media actually reported better sleep overall, but the influence could go either way.
“Another interpretation is that social media use is not the preferred activity for students who struggle the most with their sleep,” the researchers write.
Some students use technology as a sleep aid, and may choose activities commonly considered more calming, like watching a movie or listening to music instead of doomscrolling.
“If you struggle with sleep and suspect that screen time may be a factor, try to reduce screen use in bed, ideally stopping at least 30 to 60 minutes before sleep,” Hjetland says. “If you do use screens, consider disabling notifications to minimize disruptions during the night.”
The study was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.
