Reuters: Sleepy? Cut out late-night Internet and TV

Reuters Health Information (2007-08-23): Sleepy? Cut out late-night Internet and TV

NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - People who spend more pre-bedtime hours using the Internet or watching television are more likely to report that they don't get enough sleep, even though they sleep almost as long as people who spend fewer pre-bedtime hours in front of a computer or television screen,survey findings show.
"While many people use electronic media, such as the Internet, it should be noted that the longer media use before sleep can trigger (self-perceived) insufficient sleep," lead
researcher Dr. Nakamori Suganuma, of Osaka University, Japan, told Reuters Health.
He and colleagues obtained data on self-perceived sleep problems and the use of electronic media prior to bedtime from a total of 5,875 Japanese respondents to two separate Internet-based surveys. Their findings are published in the journal Sleep and Biological Rhythms. Nearly half of the respondents associated their lack of sleep with electronic media use beforebedtime. Those reporting longer electronic media use were also more likely to report insufficient sleep. Overall, 29 percent of light users
(less than 1.5 hours) listed electronic media use as a possible cause of their insufficient sleep. By comparison, 40 percent of medium users (1.5 to 3 hours) and 54 percent of heavy users (more than 3 hours) said the same. READ ON