Tweens, screens and sleep: How parents can help kids get their zzzzz’s : Shots

How teenagers use electronic devices before bedtime can have a big impact on the quality and length of their sleep, the researchers note. New Research.

The study involved approximately 9,400 children aged 11 and 12. Research on cognitive development of the adolescent brainA large-scale, long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States.

The researchers asked teens and their parents detailed questions about their bedtime screen use and how well they slept, then followed up a year later. The vast majority of teens surveyed (72%) had their own mobile phones.

Surprising discovery: Silencing phone notifications before bedtime helps you sleep less than turning your phone off completely. Dr. Jason NagataAssociate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, who led the study.

“If teens don’t keep their cell phones completely turned off, they may be woken up in the middle of the night by vibrations or light,” Nagata said. “Or, if they have trouble falling asleep, they may find it easier to check their phone when they’re bored or their sleep is disturbed.”

One in five teenagers surveyed said they wake up in the middle of the night to check their phone, which can make them feel even more awake and aroused, making it harder to get back to sleep, Nagata said.

A better strategy, he says, is to simply remove smartphones from the bedroom at night: In the study, young people who did so got more sleep and improved their quality of sleep, benefits that lasted for a year.

Overall, using electronic devices in bed for any purpose, such as texting, streaming videos or TV shows, or playing games, was associated with less sleep.

“I think the most important thing for parents and preteens is to avoid social media and electronic devices, especially an hour before bedtime,” Nagata said. “If you can keep electronic devices outside of the bedroom, I think that’s the most effective thing.”“

Nagata and his colleagues say their study offers some best practices for parents.

1. Avoid screen time an hour before bedtime.
2. Turn off your cell phone completely at night.
3. If you wake up in the middle of the night, resist the urge to check your phone.
4. Keep your cell phone outside your bedroom at night.

And that advice applies to adults too.
“After conducting these studies, I changed my habits,” Nagata says. “Before, I would turn off my cell phone in the room. But now I try to keep it outside the bedroom. It’s actually been more effective for me.”“

This study Journal of Adolescent Health.