Electronic Screen Use and Sleep Dur...

AI Summary

This large cross-sectional study examined how electronic screen use before bedtime affects sleep outcomes in over 122,000 adults from the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-3. Researchers found that daily screen use in the hour before bed was associated with significantly poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration compared to no screen use. The study suggests that pre-bedtime screen exposure may disrupt circadian rhythms, with effects being more pronounced among individuals with evening chronotypes who already face challenges with social jetlag. The findings indicate that screen-related sleep disruptions are not limited to younger populations, as previously thought, but also affect adults across a wide age range. While the study provides valuable insights for sleep optimization strategies, it's important to note this was observational research based on self-reported data, which cannot establish causation. The researchers acknowledge that further work is needed to understand the best intervention mechanisms.

Key Findings

Daily screen use before bed was associated with 33% higher prevalence of poor sleep quality compared to no screen use

Screen users averaged 7.64 fewer minutes of sleep on workdays, totaling approximately 50 minutes less sleep per week

Evening chronotype individuals showed greater sleep disruption (8.36 minutes less sleep) compared to morning types (5.64 minutes less)

Daily screen users went to bed later - 9.33 minutes for morning chronotypes and 15.62 minutes for evening chronotypes on workdays

Abstract

Electronic screen use before bed may disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to poorer sleep. To investigate the association between screen use before bed and sleep outcomes among adults. This cross-sectional study included participants in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-3, a prospective cohort of men and women from 35 US states and Puerto Rico, who responded to a 2018 survey. Analyses were conducted from February 3, 2023, to January 10, 2025. Self-reported electronic screen use in the hour prior to bed. Self-reported sleep-wake times (used to calculate duration), sleep quality, and chronotype. Mean differences for sleep duration and bedtimes, and prevalence ratios for sleep quality were calculated by screen use using multivariable linear and Poisson regression, respectively. Whether these associations differed by chronotype was also examined. Of the 122 058 participants (97 658 women [80.0%]; median [IQR] age, 56 [47-62] years; range, 27-85 years), 70 638 (57.9%) reported a morning chronotype. Daily screen use before bed was reported by 50 289 participants (41.2%), whereas 21 275 (17.4%) reported no screen use. Compared with no screen use, daily screen use prior to bed was associated with a 33% higher prevalence of poor sleep quality (prevalence ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.27-1.39) and 7.64 fewer minutes of sleep on workdays (95% CI, 6.65-8.63 minutes). The association was more pronounced among participants with evening chronotypes (8.36 minutes; 95% CI, 4.94-11.78 minutes) vs those with morning chronotypes (5.64 minutes; 95% CI, 3.98-7.29 minutes). Daily screen use was associated with 5.04 fewer minutes of sleep (95% CI, 4.03-6.05 minutes) on nonworkdays. Daily screen users with morning chronotype went to bed 9.33 minutes later (95% CI, 7.61-11.06 minutes), and those with evening chronotypes went to bed 15.62 minutes later (95% CI, 11.93-19.31 minutes) on workdays. Results were similar for nonworkdays. Daily screen use was associated with later bedtimes and approximately 50 minutes less sleep each week. Associations were greater among those with evening chronotypes, who are at risk for poor sleep due to social jetlag (ie, misalignment between circadian rhythms and social commitments). These findings confirm disruptions to sleep from electronic screens are not limited to children and adolescents. Further work is needed to understand the best mechanisms for intervention.

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Electronic Screen Use and Sleep Duration and Timing in Adults.

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