Bedtime, shuteye time and electronic media: sleep displacement is a two-step process

Area of Science:

• Sleep Science
• Behavioral Psychology

Background:

• Distinguishing between
• going to bed
• and
• attempting to sleep
• is crucial for understanding sleep fragmentation.
• Electronic media use patterns before and after bedtime significantly impact sleep onset.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the fragmentation of bedtime into distinct
• bedtime
• and
• shuteye time
• periods.
• To assess the role of electronic media use in this fragmentation and its association with sleep quality.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to 338 adults (aged 18-25 years).
• Data collected included time spent on electronic media and non-media activities before and after bedtime.
• Sleep quality was assessed in relation to
• shuteye latency
• (the time between going to bed and attempting to sleep).

Main Results:

• A significant
• shuteye latency
• of 39 minutes was observed.
• Increased shuteye latency was strongly correlated with higher odds of being rated as a poor sleeper.
• Pre-bedtime electronic media use (17h 55min/week) was higher than non-media activities, and exclusively predicted shuteye latency.

Conclusions:

• Bedtime fragmentation is a two-step process involving delays in both going to bed and initiating sleep.
• Pre-bedtime electronic media use is a key factor contributing to shuteye latency and subsequent poor sleep.
• Sleep displacement requires a revised understanding to encompass these pre-sleep behaviors.