Impact of Smartphone Usage on Sleep in Adolescents: A Clinically Oriented Review

Smartphones are an integral part of our lives due to benefits, such as easy accessibility to information, social connectivity, workplace/financial applications, and entertainment including games. The many benefits of a smartphone, like connectivity, increased productivity, availability of information, and portability are however balanced by negative health consequences. Excessive screen time can have multiple negative consequences, the most important of which are reduced time spent in socialization and sleep. It would be especially useful to know the impact of screen time on sleep from a bio-psycho-social perspective. Sleep plays a crucial role in memory and is essential for all stages of learning. Restorative sleep may also prepare the brain for new learning. The use of smartphones could disrupt lifestyle, sleep, and potentially, multiple cellular processes through their impact on circadian rhythms and lead to significant and widespread morbidity and mortality. Adolescents may be particularly at risk as they are found to be, in addition, watching screens of gaming consoles, TVs, and computers. These findings must be seen against the background of widespread sleep curtailment due to smartphone use and psychosocial stressors, especially in the learning populations (students and trainees). Epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated the relationships between sleep and academic performance. The implications of circadian disruption for learning populations, such as university students and professionals training for careers in medicine, and other critical occupations, cannot be overstated. This review highlights the possible negative consequences of smartphone use on overall sleep health while emphasizing the importance of studying its impact, on mental health and learning outcomes, in different populations. The review aimed to explore the literature on the impact of smartphone use on sleep in young people and the consequences for their academic achievement. The method used was a comprehensive search strategy using Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases with appropriate keywords and Boolean operators.