Usage of social media has become inevitable among people of all ages for various reasons, ranging from recreational purposes to professional networking. Long scrolling of posts and feeds on social media platforms has kept people glued to their screens for a prolonged duration. This makes way for sleep disruptions, which in turn causes health complications.
Experts say that with advancements in technology and social platforms come sleep issues. Individuals overuse social media before going to bed at night as a means to relax and catch up with things.
“During nighttime, the brain needs to relax, and the environment has to be calm for an individual to fall asleep,” said Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology and head of SHUT (Service for Healthy Use of Technology) Clinic, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.
Dr Sharma adds that when individuals watch short-format content lasting between 30 seconds and a minute, it grabs the brain’s attention and keeps it active. This puts the brain into overdrive, delaying the initiation of sleep.
In a study published in 2021, significant sleep disturbances were observed in participants with higher social media use compared to those who used less social media.
Effect of peer pressure to stay online
Parents of a 16-year-old boy from Bengaluru called the NIMHANS helpline, complaining that their son is not following their advice to stop using social media before sleeping at night. Dr Sharma said, “The boy was staying up late on social media because his peers were doing so. He had to show his online presence because that was the only time all his peers were active, and he would not sleep for long hours during the night.”
Why is sleep important?
Sleep is important for regulating metabolism and keeping our immune system strong. Having a good night’s sleep can leave your skin fresh and rejuvenated. According to experts, individuals need at least seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep to feel refreshed and ready for the next day.
“Sleep is restorative for an individual’s body. It is during sleep that our body repairs itself and the brain recalibrates the experiences that are gathered through the course of the day, storing vital information in the long-term memory. There are multiple stages of sleep that we need to go through to get a restorative and refreshing sleep,” says Mina Dilip, an internationally certified child psychotherapist based in Chennai.
Without a refreshing sleep, individuals will not be productive the next day. They tend to feel drowsy, have difficulty concentrating and are more prone to accidents.
How is social media disturbing your sleep?
According to experts, scrolling through social media at night disrupts your sleep pattern in the following ways:
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Staying up due to a series of negative thoughts
Dilip says that there are ruminations or repeated thoughts about what we see on social media when going to bed. Besides immense peer pressure, unrealistic expectations are created in terms of how one looks and what one’s life should be like, especially among the younger generation. They tend to feel inadequate and this keeps them up at night, resulting in insomnia.
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Exposure to blue light
Electronic gadgets emit blue light which activates certain areas of the brain and suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin, responsible for the initiation and maintenance of sleep. Increased exposure to blue light confuses the brain even when it’s dark, leading to a delayed sleep-wake cycle.
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Casual surfing on the net
Individuals are drawn to certain social media features and spend hours surfing for content. The continuous flow of content gets them hooked to these platforms when they are supposed to sleep. This delayed sleep or no sleep at all can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to sleep deprivation.
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Fear of missing out (FOMO)
One of the main reasons youngsters tend to stay up late is due to the fear of missing out. “Most adolescents need to know what is happening. They feel like they are missing out on things when they are asleep. They would rather give up sleep than miss things happening around them. According to them, if they sleep early, they would feel left out during conversations the next day,” said Dr Sharma.
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Constant notifications
Notifications and alerts from various social applications tend to disturb sleep. When individuals get notifications on their phone while trying to sleep, they usually like to check them. They also tend to start checking other mobile applications and end up not sleeping at all. This eventually leads to reduced overall sleep time.
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Zero inbox syndrome
This refers to the tendency of clearing the inbox by reading and responding to all the messages or emails immediately. It keeps them awake in a similar manner to that of FOMO, added Dr Sharma.
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Momentary satisfaction
Scrolling through social media apps to watch something new can give a sense of satisfaction at that moment. Individuals tend to keep scrolling to find something new and interesting, spending hours on it.
Takeaways
- Over usage of social media platforms at night can disrupt sleep, which in turn causes health complications.
- Scrolling through social media can affect sleep in many ways including exposure to blue light, FOMO and staying up due to negative thoughts.
- Individuals won’t be productive without sleep the following day. They tend to feel drowsy, have difficulty concentrating and are more prone to accidents.
