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Study Shows Technology May Inhibit Good Sleep

Posted by Soulskill on from the it's-hard-to-sleep-without-all-the-beeps dept.

An anonymous reader points out a study by the National Sleep Foundation which looked at the relationship between sleep habits and the use of electronic communications tech in the hour before bedtime. Dr. Michael Grasidar of Flinders University said, "My research compares how technologies that are ‘passively received' such as TVs and music versus those with ‘interactive' properties like video games, cell phones and the Internet may affect the brain differently. The hypothesis is that the latter devices are more alerting and disrupt the sleep-onset process." The study found that people who frequently send text messages or use their laptops before bed were less likely to report getting a good night's sleep (PDF) than people who don't. "While these technologies are commonplace, it is clear that we have a lot more to learn about the appropriate use and design of this technology to complement good sleep habits," said the NSF's David Cloud.

3 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. Correlation is not causation by Hatta · · Score: 3, Informative

    The article refers to a poll, not an experiment. Could it be that those who have trouble sleeping are more likely to engage in interactive entertainment?

    Personally, I very, very rarely have trouble sleeping. I usually find myself getting too tired for interactive entertainment about an hour before I want to sleep. I'd *love* to be able to continue playing video games up until lights out, but I just don't have the energy. Those who have lots of energy will keep playing/blogging/hacking.

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  2. Re:Seriously? by bbtom · · Score: 5, Informative

    There's already an app you can get for Windows, Linux and OS X called F.lux which changes the colour temperate of your screen based on your time and location. http://stereopsis.com/flux/

    Just installed it and my screen has a very strong yellowy-pinky tint as it is 2am.

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  3. Re:Technology, but not mine. by dargaud · · Score: 4, Informative

    A while ago there was a /. story about a guy would couldn't talk his neighbors in turning their music down at night, so he got some _really_ powerful electromagnet coils, put them on his wall opposite their speakers, and ran all king of signals through them. After a while they stopped.

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