How do digital media work on sleep ?

Digital media have become an integral part of everyday life, but how do Smartphone, social media, Netflix & CO. on our sleeping habits? We explain what digital media means for sleep and what we should pay attention to so that our sleep is restful despite media consumption.

Table of contents

1. media consumption in everyday life
2. The Effect of Media on Sleep
3. Tips for Media Consumption Before Sleep
4. Conclusion

1. Media consumption in everyday life

Digital media have become an indispensable part of everyday life. Hardly anyone leaves without a Smartphone, in the house, in the car or at work we listen to the radio and in the evening at home the TV is on or our favorite series is on Netflix. In 2021 we spent an average of 10 hours a day consuming digital media. However, this can also have numerous negative effects and also significantly affect our sleep. Exciting TV series, exciting computer games or hours of scrolling through social media channels can prevent us from finding sufficient relaxation before going to bed.

Numerous studies prove that consuming digital media before going to bed has a significant impact on our sleep behavior. The type of medium and the time of use are particularly important. Active media, such as gaming or social media, can have a greater impact on sleep than passive media such as television or podcasts, which bombard us and do not require direct interaction.

2. The effect of digital media on sleep behavior

Lack of fatigue

Daylight has a major influence on our sleep-wake rhythm. During the day, the sun emits a lot of “blue” light, which keeps us awake and active. As it gets darker in the evening, the production of sleep hormone melatoninwhich makes us tired and helps us fall asleep. Bright screens also emit large amounts of blue light and imitate daylight, which slows down melatonin production in the evening and makes us more likely to stay awake because tiredness and falling asleep are suppressed.

Tip: Dim the room lights a few hours before going to bed and try to avoid bright screens. For most Smartphones and screens, you can also activate a blue light filter function or wear glasses with special lenses that filter blue light.

Stress instead of relaxation

A thrilling horror film that makes us feel the excitement or an adventurous video game that requires our full concentration activates our nervous system and can lead to excitement and a stress reaction in the body. Then we release more of the stress hormone cortisol our heart rate and blood pressure increase, our breathing becomes faster and our body does everything it can to keep us awake, alert and productive. We cannot relax and prepare for sleep, the tiredness disappears and falling asleep becomes much more difficult.

Less sleep

Digital media and especially social media often tempt us to stay online longer than we actually want to. Various studies have shown that gaming and using social media release the happiness hormone dopamine. This means that every interaction on the Smartphone or on the console, the reward system in our brain and entices us to scroll further and see more.For this reason, we quickly lose track of time when gaming or surfing on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok, especially in the evening, and often go to bed later than planned.

Tip: Use your bed only for sleeping, not for watching TV and banish your SmartIdeally, keep your phone out of the bedroom altogether. Schedule certain media- and media-free times in your day and use reminder functions, for example on Instagram itself or with the help of special apps, to remind you to take breaks after a certain amount of time.

3. Tips for media consumption before sleep

Gaming

Whether on the computer, mobile phone or games console, gaming requires our interaction and concentration, allows us to experience things emotionally and in this way puts a strain on the brain and nervous system. Exciting games with a high "thrill" factor in particular cause numerous stimuli in the nervous system. These so-called "arousals" sound like alarm bells in our brain and make us awake and alert. This suppresses the naturally occurring tiredness before going to bed and makes it difficult for us to fall asleep after an intensive evening of gaming.

In a study at the German Sport University in Cologne, smartsleep® founder and sleep researcher Dr. Markus Dworak and his team proved that intensive gaming in the evening really did lead to a longer falling asleep phase and less deep sleep than watching TV or a media-free time before going to bed. And the memory performance was reduced by gaming, so that gaming subjects found it harder to remember certain things the next day than those who did not play video games before going to sleep. Markus explains exactly why this effect occurred in our 22nd podcast episode "How media influences sleep".

Tip: Try to avoid challenging and immersive games with a high thrill factor in the evening or give yourself enough time to relax between the last game and going to bed. Simple, less demanding games or puzzles, on the other hand, are a good activity before going to bed.

We have the best sleep tips especially for gamers in this article noted.

TV & Streaming

Films and series are a popular pastime and are part of the evening routine for many people. Documentaries or light entertainment series that only require casual attention can help us to relax and find peace after a stressful day, which has a positive effect on sleep and falling asleep. Exciting series with nasty cliffhangers, scary thrillers or crime films, on the other hand, often make us get excited or puzzle over the story. Then our nervous system is highly active again and we are also tempted to watch episode after episode for a little longer.

Tip: Instead of a series marathon, you can watch quiet documentaries or relaxed series before going to bed that don't strain the brain too much and help you to slowly calm down. The television should also not be in the bedroom so that your sleeping environment is exclusively for sleeping.

Podcasts & Music

Podcasts, music or certain sounds and noises can support the process of falling asleep and help you to sleep better. Our hearing is also active during sleep and processes all acoustic stimuli in our environment during the night.Calming podcasts, bedtime stories or relaxing music can distract us from everyday stress, distract us from other things and help us to fall asleep. However, the music should not be too exciting and the stories should not be too complex and exciting, otherwise we will tend to listen more intently and think about the content. You can find detailed information about the effect of music or so-called white noise on sleep in this article.

Tip: Simple bedtime stories, white noises and special sleep sounds can be easily integrated into the evening routine to gently support relaxation and falling asleep. It is best to use a Sleep Set a timer and keep the volume at a moderate level so that the music doesn't play forever during the night and potentially wake you up again.

social media

Communication, socializing or comparing ourselves with others on social media can quickly become addictive and keep us glued to our Smartphone, tablet or notebook. But if we spend ages in the evening on the Smartphone and exposed to screen light, natural tiredness is often suppressed, we go to bed later and fall asleep less quickly because melatonin production is disrupted.

Tip: Limit social media to certain times of the day, set reminders for breaks and SmartIt's best not to take your phone to bed at all.

4. Conclusion

• Digital media can make it harder to fall asleep and lead to shorter sleep duration.

• The impact of media depends on the content, type and timing of media consumption.

• Exciting video games, series and podcasts keep us awake and disrupt the process of falling asleep

• Soothing documentaries, bedtime stories or special sounds can help you relax and promote sleep.