Sleep-Deprived Teens Using Smartphones in Bed

Do you think people wake up in the middle of the night to use Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram accounts? Do they do it every night? If you said no, think again.

One in five people between 12 and 15 years old do get up in the middle of the night to check social media, according to the Journal of Youth Studies. That’s 20%.

An additional one-third wake up to check social media messages in the middle of the night once a week. Other surveys have shown that 72% of teenagers have smartphones in their bedrooms and use them in the period before they go to sleep. Twenty-eight percent have their phones next to them, turned on, as they sleep.

The net effect is that they may push back sleep while looking at texts or social media, and can also be awakened by smartphones at night.

Tired During the Middle of the Day

Unsurprisingly, kids who wake up to log on are three times more likely to feel like they’re always tired than peers who never do. Not only that, but the social media-at-night users were measurably more unhappy than people who didn’t wake up to use social media at night.

Many more girls reported waking up in the middle of the night to use social media than boys.

People who didn’t wake up at the same time every day were also more likely to report feeling tired than those who did.

The study surveyed 900 middle- and high-school students.

High School Students at Risk Because of Insufficient Sleep

Social media is only one of the factors affecting the sleep of young people across the country. Many high school students begin the school day early, pack in extracurricular activities, and work part-time jobs. As a result, many study or work until late into the night.

Eighty-seven percent of high school students report that they routinely get much less than the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation among teenagers is considered a public health problem.

Shortfalls in sleep cause many negative psychological effects, including poor concentration, anxiety, depression, drowsy driving, and even thoughts of suicide.

Come to Mattress World to Get Quality Sleep

Studies that show sleep deprivation leading to tiredness and unhappiness just illustrate how important quality sleep is. The first step in assuring a full night’s rest is finding the right mattress. Here at Mattress World, we’re happy to help. When you come into a Mattress World showroom, you’re welcome to try out different options with the help and guidance of a friendly Sleep Specialist. It’s what we’re here for — to make sleep something you look forward to at night.

Additional “Teens and Sleep Loss” Resources

1. Sleep Review, 1 in 5 Young People Lose Sleep Over Social Media, http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2017/01/1-5-young-people-lose-sleep-social-media/
2. Stanford Medicine, Among teens, sleep deprivation an epidemic, https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html

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