Consuming technology at night can lead to addiction and loss of sleep. Rosemarie Dorekens wakes up to techsomnia.

Many of us wish we could get more sleep – and yet technology is keeping us awake. There are e-mails and messages to reply to, television to watch, apps to download and try out – we just can’t afford to have an early night.

In fact, in recent years, more people are suffering from insomnia. Fingers are pointing at our inability to switch off our technology. The end result is techsomnia and endless doses of caffeine, to the detriment of our health and well-being.

Patricia Morrisroe, author of Wide Awake, a Memoir of Insomnia (Spiegel and Grau, 2010) wrote that a growing body of research suggests that more and more young people are being deprived of sleep because they cannot bring themselves to put down their high-tech toys.

In recent years, studies have suggested that habitual online browsing and computer gaming can lead to lost sleep. A 2004 study published in the journal Sleep revealed how adolescents with a television set, gaming, computer or internet connection in their rooms spent measurably less time in bed.

What could make matters worse is that children and young adults require a lot more sleep than adults – ignoring this basic need in favour of texting or surfing the web can lead to serious problems.

According to a recent study compiled by pan-European research project EU Kids Online, a third of Maltese children access the internet from their own rooms. Sometimes they do so unattended and continue browsing till the early hours. The same study also shows that insufficient sleep could affect mood factors and can lead to social isolation, a lack of social skills development and even obesity. Moreover, insomnia interferes with our ability to function at school or the office.

Sleep researchers say that late night use of gadgets with light-emitting screens can also have a detrimental impact on sleep. Light inhibits the release of melatonin, a hormone that settles the body into sleep mode toward evening time. The production of melatonin increases when darkness falls and then tapers off towards morning as part of a natural cycle. Since melatonin is pro-sleep, any artificial light source at night – whether it’s from a television or a bedsidelamp – can mess with the body’soverall melatonin production.

However, other researchers are skeptical that the iPad and other electronic devices pose all that much of a hindrance to getting some shut-eye. Michael Marmor, a professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University, argues that the amount of light coming off a computer or a tablet is not anywhere near bright enough to interfere with circadian cycles. Prof. Marmor adds that outdoor light is much brighter than any indoor computer or ordinary room light, which is why jet-lagged travelers are told to go outside to help reset and gauge their internal clocks to the local day-night norms.

However, the fact remains that apart from insomnia, overuse of the internet carries with it an addictive quality which feeds on aspects of compulsive or impulsive disorders. In fact, many users suffer from withdrawal symptoms if they are forced to stay away from their internet connection for long. Moreover, over time, they find themselves seeking more time online, additional software and frequent updates.

Allison Harvey, behavioural sleep expert at UC, Berkley says that television is a passive technology so it doesn’t stimulate the brain like computers do. However, video games, Facebook, Twitter are interactive and may get in the way of sleep more than the passively received ones.

For Harvey, interactive technology makes us more alert and can lead to insomnia when used at night. Sleep is a basic need but the relationship with these technological gadgets is becoming an obsession. Unfortunately this is not a symptom only children cannot handle – adults are inflicted just the same.

Experts believe that to counter insomnia, parents must set boundaries. This means that parents need to take charge and carefully monitor their children’s use of technology.

Admittedly, this may be easier said than done and parents might have to resort to drastic measures, such as unplugging Wi-Fi connections at night. In fact, researchers recommend that this electronic curfew should take place at least 30 minutes before one hits the hay.

Rosemarie Dorekens was awarded the STEPs scholarship leading to an M.Sc in MediaManagement at the University of Stirling.

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