The Effects of Mobile Phones on Sleep Quality and Rest Time in adolescent

Abstract

Nowadays, almost every adolescent is in the possession of a mobile phone. It ensures adolescents to remain constantly connected for interaction, including the night. Sleep in adolescents is vital for the physical and psychological development, its regenerative effect is of essential importance for cognitive, behavioural and emotional performance. The sleep quality among adolescents is firmly linked to lifestyle habits such as mobile phone usage. Consequently, multiple studies worldwide have investigated the impact of mobile phones usage on sleep in adolescents. The objective of this literature review was to analyse the quality of sleep and rest time among adolescents in relation to their mobile phone usage peculiarities. The results of the literature review showed that the usage of mobile phones among adolescents is globally distributed and plays a dominant role in their lives. However, the usage of mobile phones has been correlated with negative effects on adolescent’s sleep quality and resting time. Specifically, utilisation of mobile phones before or during bedtime has been shown to adversely impact sleep-out comes by diminishing sleep duration and delaying sleep onset time. Therefore, it is essential to educate not only the adolescents themselves but also their parents about the consequences mobile phone utilisation has on sleep and health outcomes.