Mobile phone addiction leads to sleep deprivation across age groups: experts

Experts warn excessive mobile phone use disrupts sleep, impacting overall health and well-being, emphasizing importance of sleep hygiene.

Fear of missing out on things that happen around them is making people of all age groups glue themselves to their mobile phones that deprives them a good sleep, which should be 7-8 hours a day, said a group of experts on Saturday (December 7, 2024).

At a panel discussion titled “Stress and Sleep: The twin burdens that deter us from achieving full potential”, which was organised as part of ‘Healthy India, Happy India’, a collaborative initiative of Naruvi Hospitals and The Hindu here, Maria Antony, specialist in child and adolescent mental health, said excessive usage of mobile phones is inimical to sleep. “Mobile phone usage has become the new-age aliment for many people as they think smartphones are the only way of recreation,” she explained. The hour-long discussion was moderated by Ramya Kannan, Chief of Bureau (Tamil Nadu), The Hindu.

Explaining about sleep hygiene, M. Satish Kumar, specialist in respiratory medicine, said that the concept of sleep hygiene is to have a set pattern of activities, including going to bed early, at a regular time. Maintaining a sleep diary that includes day and night-time routines and total naps taken will help those struggling with inadequate sleep. “Getting up during sleep and feeling sleepy during the day is referred to as sleep fragmentation - it should be avoided for better sleep hygiene with less stress,” he said.

He said that it was indeed good for people to take short naps. However, he added that such short naps should be taken post-lunch between 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and not later because it will then affect regular sleep at night. “Short naps can’t be referred to as sleep. Instead, they help to recover and re-energise oneself,” he noted. 

Pulmonologist Prince James said snoring is the result of obstruction to the smooth flow of oxygen into the lungs. Obesity is one of the main causes responsible for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a condition that can turn out to be dangerous. “CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] or BiPAP [bilevel positive airway pressure] are the best available treatment for snoring,” Dr. James said.

Mary Kurien, an otorhinolaryngologist, spoke of the physiological causes that cause snoring among children and prevent them from getting adequate sleep. While some causes might resolve themselves as the children grow up, others might need intervention, she added.