The Impact of Screens on Sleep and How to Make Positive Changes to Bedtime Routines
Written by Joelle Hill, Certified Child Sleep Consultant, Certified CBT-I (Adult Sleep), Founder of Hill Family Sleep Solutions & Everyday Hero Kids’ Community Member — Visit Joelle’s profile at www.ehkidshealth.com
As our children and teenagers head back to the classroom this fall we need to take a look at their quality of sleep. One of the reasons for poor sleep quality is the use of technology with a screen close to bedtime.
Technology used close to the time of the ‘head hitting the pillow’ impacts academic performance, moods, behavior and overall physical health. Screen- based technology before bed is associated with falling asleep later, getting less sleep overall, a poor quality of sleep and less time spent in deep and REM sleep. Sound familiar?
What is going on?
Light exposure hinders the production of melatonin that is produced and when it is released in the body. It also impacts the transitions between sleep cycles, interrupting the stages of sleep. Our different stages of sleep are important for different reasons.
Deep and REM sleep are critical to our daily experiences as our brain organizes and files the information from our day. When we have poor quality sleep we miss the benefits of the longer stages of deep sleep in the early part of the night and REM sleep to “prune” in the second half of the night. The ripple effect of poor sleep leads to daytime sleepiness, which impacts our children’s functioning at school. We’ve all seen the late afternoon irritability, bags under the eyes or the child who refuses bed. Technology before bed could be the culprit.
How do electronics affect children?
Children are impacted by screens more than adults. The photons in their younger eyes are more sensitive, taking in the blue light from the screens that trick the body into thinking that it is still daylight and decreasing the production and delaying the release of melatonin; the hormone that helps us sleep.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of blue light. The impacts of blue light lessens as we age as our eyes become less sensitive to light. Blue light from technology suppresses the melatonin production in children by almost twice as much as compared to adults. This may sound scary and you are likely thinking what am I going to do and how do I make changes?
Tips on how to move screens away from bedtime…
Ideally, we wouldn’t allow screens in the bedroom at all. However, if you find yourself in this situation there are some tips to help with the transition and the long term improvement of your child’s sleep will be worth it. These can be difficult habits to break and consistency is critical.
● If your child wants to watch or fall asleep with the screen because they are afraid of the dark it can be helpful to replace the screen with another light source such as a 4–7 watt red or orange light source such as a nightlight or projector light. Try to stay away from blue or white lights as they mimic the screen for emitting light that delays the production of melatonin in the bedroom.
● Find replacements for the screens such as other environmental noises if they like to hear the sounds. Use white noise (fan, sound machine, music) and keep the sound constant to help with the awakenings between sleep cycles.
● Bring back the bedtime routine with reading, singing and introducing a comfort object like a favorite blanket or ‘stuffies’. For an older child, starting a wind down time between the daytime activities and turning off the lights for bed really helps to prepare the body for sleep.
● Consider moving screen time further away from the bedtime routine. They can still have access to a favorite activity on the screen but it is farther away from ‘lights out’ and is time-limited. For teens, silencing notifications at a certain time in the evening can help with setting boundaries. Ideally, working towards 2 hours before the time you want them to fall asleep.
● If your child does not know how to fall asleep any other way than with electronics, some formal changes may need to be considered to help your child learn the skill of falling asleep.
Remember, it takes 3 weeks to create new habits! Being consistent with your plan is the best way to make changes towards better sleep. Change is hard and it takes a lot of energy to stick with new routines. Consistency is the key!
Hill Family Sleep Consultants, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and Certified in Cognitive Behavior Therapy & Insomnia for adults.
Joelle has worked in the field of infant and child development, including mental health for the past 20 years. She has worked with families in their homes, in childcare settings and in schools using a family-centered philosophy with a priority in the functioning family and on strengthening connections with your children as they learn to get better sleep.
Joelle Hill
Certified Child Sleep Consultant
Certified CBT-I (Adult Sleep)
Hill Family Sleep Solutions
Website: http://www.hillfamilysleepsolutions.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HillFamilySleepSolutions
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillfamilysleepsolutions/
