Changes of evening exposure to electronic devices during the COVID-19 lockdown affect the time course of sleep disturbances
| Autor: | Aurora D'Atri, Domenico Corigliano, Federico Salfi, Michele Ferrara, Lorenzo Viselli, Giulia Amicucci, Daniela Tempesta |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Evening insomnia evening screen exposure Audiology Bedtime lockdown Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index 03 medical and health sciences Screen time 0302 clinical medicine Physiology (medical) medicine Insomnia Humans sleep health Circadian rhythm AcademicSubjects/MED00385 COVID-19 electronic devices 030304 developmental biology 0303 health sciences AcademicSubjects/SCI01870 SARS-CoV-2 business.industry Sleep in non-human animals Exacerbated Insomnia Communicable Disease Control Electronics Sleep Original Article Sleep onset latency Sleep (system call) Neurology (clinical) medicine.symptom business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery AcademicSubjects/MED00370 |
| Zdroj: | Sleep |
| ISSN: | 1550-9109 0161-8105 |
| Popis: | Study ObjectivesDuring the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a worldwide increase in electronic devices’ daily usage. The exposure to backlit screens before falling asleep leads to negative consequences on sleep health through its influence on the circadian system. We investigated the relationship between the changes in evening screen exposure and the time course of sleep disturbances during the home confinement period due to COVID-19.Methods2123 Italians were longitudinally tested during the third and the seventh week of lockdown. The web-based survey evaluated sleep quality and insomnia symptoms through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Insomnia Severity Index. During the second assessment, respondents reported the changes in the backlit screen exposure in the two hours before falling asleep.ResultsParticipants who increased electronic device usage showed decreased sleep quality, exacerbated insomnia symptoms, reduced sleep duration, higher sleep onset latency, and delayed bedtime and rising time. In this subgroup, the prevalence of poor sleepers and clinical insomniacs increased. Conversely, respondents reporting decreased screen exposure exhibited improved sleep quality and insomnia symptoms. In this subgroup, the prevalence of poor sleepers and clinical insomniacs decreased. Respondents preserving their screen time habits did not show any change in the sleep parameters.ConclusionsOur investigation demonstrated a strong relationship between the modifications of the evening electronic device usage and the time course of sleep disturbances during the lockdown period. Interventions to raise public awareness about the risks of excessive exposure to backlit screens are necessary to prevent sleep disturbances and foster well-being during the home confinement due to COVID-19.Statement of SignificanceThe present investigation is the first to provide insights about the relationship between the changes in evening electronic device usage and the time course of sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 lockdown. Consistent with the well-known negative effect of backlit screen lights on circadian physiology, we demonstrated a strong relationship between the screen time modifications in the hours before falling asleep, the development and exacerbation of sleep disturbances, and the changes of sleep/wake patterns during the period of home confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic. To date, hundreds of thousands of people are subjected to restraining measures worldwide. Our findings have large scale and broad-spectrum implications, considering the unavoidable increase of electronic device usage during the current period of limited social interactions. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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