As we know, it is better to stay away from screens in the evening and let the brain "cool down" if you want to get a good night's sleep. A Canadian study now suggests that you should also regulate your Internet consumption during the day, especially if you are young, because the use of social networks, even low, can affect the quality of sleep. 5,242 school children aged 11 to 20 from the province of Ontario had their sleep cycle analyzed according to the needs corresponding to their age. 11 a.m. for 11-13 year olds, 10 a.m. for 14-17 year olds and 9 a.m. for 18-20 year olds. Only 36.4% of the young people tested slept enough (the recommended number of hours or more), which means that a large majority – 63.6% – were sleep deprived. The more time spent during the day on social networks such as Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp, the more the children had difficulty getting to sleep (some said they spent more than 5 hours a day checking their notifications).
But the thing to remember is that one hour a day of use is enough to disrupt sleep. “The effects of social networks on sleep is a key topic when we know the negative impact that lack of sleep can have on health in general. […] Electronic devices are ubiquitous in our society and we are only beginning to understand their benefits and the risks they entail “, explains Jean-Philippe Chaput who participated in the research. The study does not say whether adults are also concerned by the consequences of excessive use of networks and screens. Anyway, it is better to disconnect as early as possible in the evening if you want to be in good shape the next day. A good book also works very well for getting to sleep!
