Study: Teenagers getting less sleep and smartphones are to blame

A study conducted by researchers at the San Diego State University says adolescents tend to sleep for fewer hours per night than those of older generations.

The researchers said most young people are trading their sleep for smartphone time.

To attain empirical evidence, the research team examined data from two long-running US government-funded surveys of more than 360,000 teenagers.

Combining and analysing data from both surveys, the researchers found that about 40% of adolescents in 2015 slept less than 7 hours a night, which is 58% more than in 1991 and 17% more than in 2009.

They also found that the more time young people reported spending online, the less sleep they got. Teens who spent 5 hours a day online were 50% more likely to not sleep enough than their peers who only spent an hour online each day.

Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University, explained how the use of smartphone minimises the sleeping hours of teenagers.

“Teens sleep began to shorten just as the majority started using smartphone,” he said.

“Our body is going to try to meet its sleep needs, which means sleep is going to interfere or shove its nose in other spheres of our lives.

“Teens may catch up with naps on the weekend or they may start falling asleep at school.

“Given the importance of sleep for both physical and mental health, both teens and adults should consider whether their Smartphone use is interfering with their sleep.

“It’s particularly important not to use screen devices right before bed, as they might interfere with falling asleep.”