Phone link to sleep problems for quarter of adults

NEARLY ONE in four UK adults has trouble sleeping because they spend too long on their smartphones before bed, according to research.

Previous studies have suggested that blue light emitted from digital displays can mimic daylight and may prevent the body releasing melatonin, the hormone which aids sleep.

Now a survey by phone manufacturer OnePlus suggests that young people, in particular, have encountered sleeplessness by taking a phone to bed with them, with the figures indicating that 86 per cent of millennials reported trouble sleeping having been on their phone before lying down to sleep. And 15 per cent of those in this 18-34 age group said they used their phone between 11pm and 3am. In contrast, only nine per cent of those aged 55 and over said they had experienced sleep problems linked to phone use at night. The research suggests that as many as 12 million people in the UK could be affected by the problem.

OnePlus’s figures also indicate that some phone users are trying to combat the problem – a quarter of those surveyed said they had used a special screen mode on their device designed to restrict blue light.

Technology companies have acknowledged the issue too – both Apple and Google have introduced settings to their operating systems which reduce blue light, as well as dark mode settings which darken the screen and are designed to be less harsh on a user’s eyes in low-light conditions.

Lisa Artis, head of The Sleep Council, said: “While these results are not surprising, it is eyeopening to read that taking a phone to bed is causing sleepless nights for so many.”

She said people should avoid screen time for an hour before bedtime.