For children, bedtime and texting don’t mix, study finds

Students who texted, surfed the Internet or played video games before bedtime had problems falling asleep at night, but some also were prone to mood and cognitive learning problems during daytime hours, an early study has found.

Seventy-seven percent of the 40 students who participated in the study had “persistent” problems going to sleep after engaging in such activities, and each student was awakened by an electronic device on average at least once during the night, according to the findings.

In addition, more than half of the children experienced problems during the day.

“Children who engage in pre-bedtime use of technology have a high rate of daytime problems, which can include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression and learning difficulties,” Dr. Peter G. Polos, lead author of the paper, said in a statement. “This is in addition to nighttime problems, such as excessive movements, insomnia and leg pain.”

The study also found that students were sending about 35 texts after they had gone to bed, engaging in stimulating activity that can further intrude on their sleep.

Students in the study were between 8 and 22 years old and were polled about their sleep habits between September and May. The paper was presented Monday at a meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Vancouver, Canada.

Click here to read more about the study.