A recent study showed that screen use among teenagers negatively affected nighttime sleep, daytime sleepiness, and academic performance.
The research led by Dr. Daniel Pérez Chada, professor at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of the Universidad Austral A study by a consultant in the Pulmonology Department of the Austral University Hospital included 1.257 Argentine adolescents, aged 12 to 18, and recorded their daily exposure to various screen-based activities, including video games and online games, social media, and television. The results show daytime sleepiness in 71% of the participants and academic failure in 41%.
Technological advances have significantly increased the use of devices, both for work and recreational activities, across all age groups. It's often overlooked that the duration and quality of sleep are affected by screen use. Firstly, because the time spent in front of screens at night means fewer hours of rest. Furthermore, the stimulation generated by video games or social media, particularly before bedtime, can delay the onset of sleep.
Sleep is essential for balance and proper physiological functioning, as well as for facilitating learning and memory consolidation. In adolescents, it has been shown that 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night are necessary to support the mechanisms of learning consolidation.
Broadly speaking, we can distinguish two types of memory: “declarative memory, which stores memories that can be recalled, such as what we ate a few days ago, an appointment we attended, or a phone number. Procedural memory, on the other hand, is linked to learning certain skills or abilities, such as riding a bicycle,” explained Dr. Pérez Chada. During sleep, memories acquired while awake are reactivated, which is essential for their subsequent consolidation in brain regions such as the hippocampus.
One of the findings of the study is that the results depended on the type of activity in which the participants were involved: “Time spent playing video games affects sleep and increases daytime sleepiness, and the use of mobile devices was associated with worse academic performance,” the research states.
Of the 1.257 young people who participated in the study, average scores in language and mathematics were obtained for 864. It was observed that 40,7% did not reach the necessary score to pass the exams (this situation was more frequent among males). Those who failed the assessments suffered more daytime sleepiness, slept less during the week, took longer naps, and went to bed later on weekends. Regarding screen time, the participants who failed their exams spent more time playing video games and watching television or other online content. streaming and they used gaming devices more frequently at bedtime.
“Our findings highlight the importance of maintaining good sleep hygiene and limiting screen time to preserve learning among adolescents,” said Daniel Pérez Chada, professor at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of the Universidad Austral and one of the authors of the research.
The 10 commandments of sleep hygiene for adults, created by the World Sleep Society and the World Association of Sleep Medicine, are a guide to help you develop healthy sleep habits:
“The family environment should support teenagers in developing healthy sleep habits, allowing them to get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep. This goal isn't always easy to achieve due to extracurricular activities young people participate in after school, such as sports, arts, or language learning. Often, homework after school extends the day, reducing the amount of sleep available at night. Furthermore, adolescence is a period of intense socialization, so it's important to limit nights out, especially on weekdays. The intrusion of technology into the lives of children and teenagers, when not properly supervised by parents, adds another factor that competes with healthy sleep habits,” concluded Dr. Pérez Chada.
