Remove electronic devices from your child’s bedroom. Here’s why

Does your child sleep fitfully? Blame it on electronic media. According to a recent study, removing digital devices from your children’s bedrooms can improve their sleep.

Penn State (Pennsylvania State University, US) researchers outlined certain recommendations in a recent manuscript on digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence. The manuscript was based on previous studies that suggest the use of digital devices before bedtime leads to insufficient sleep. Make sleep a priority by talking with family members about the importance of sleep and healthy sleep expectations, and also the negative consequences of bright light in the evening on sleep. Encourage a bedtime routine that includes calming activities and avoids electronic media use. Remove electronic devices — including TV, video games, computers, tablets and cell phones — from your child or teen’s bedroom. “Recent reviews of scientific literature reveal that the vast majority of studies find evidence for an adverse association between screen-based media consumption and sleep health, primarily delayed bedtimes and reduced total sleep duration,” said Orfeu Buxton, an author on the manuscript. The reasons behind this adverse association likely include time spent on screens replacing time spent sleeping; mental stimulation from media content; and the effects of light interrupting sleep cycles, according to the researchers.

Buxton and other researchers are working to understand the role of parenting and family practices; the links between screen time and sleep quality and tiredness; and the influence of light on circadian physiology and sleep health among children and adolescents.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK Bright light in the evening has negative consequences on sleep

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