Social Media and Sleep Trouble by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
What is it?
Social media is how people connect with each other, share information, create content, and exchange information. According to Statista, 223 million people in the United States use social media. The number of users increased from 21% in 2009 to 44% in 2010. Now, 82% of the population uses social media.
What happens?
In an article from the UX Collective, engagement in social media lies in one of the foundations of psychology: positive reinforcement. With positive reinforcement, a stimulus (i.e., social media notifications) increases the likelihood that a behavior (i.e., checking your phone) will occur again in the future. And, the “social” element of being connected to others adds an extra layer of engagement.
In the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, a handful of people who were formative in the creation of social media apps, emails, and internet platforms discussed how their creative ideas were intended for good. But, the effect of technology has been massive, transformative, addictive, and threatens sleep.
One study by Levensen et. al (2017) found an association between social media usage 30 minutes before bedtime and sleep trouble. A different study by Garett et al (2018) looked at the relationship between the time of day that college freshman at UCLA engaged in social media usage and sleep quality, and found that using social media in the evening resulted in poor sleep.
Consider:
Reducing your screen time. In my blog post “4 Ways to Reduce Your Screen Time,” I provide some helpful tips. CLICK HERE to read the post.
Try other activities that will actually promote sleep. In my blog post “5 Activities That Can Help You Get Sleep,” I provide some options. CLICK HERE to read the post.
Create a sleep routine. In my blog post ”6 Ways to Create a Sleep Routine That Works For You,” I provide actionable steps to get started. CLICK HERE to read the post.
Try meditation. In my blog post “3 Reasons Why Meditation Can Help You Sleep Better,” I discussed reasons why it can be helpful. CLICK HERE to read the post.
References:
Social Media Overview. Communications. (2021, March 5). https://communications.tufts.edu/marketing-and-branding/social-media-overview/. ;
Tankovska, H. (2021, April 14). Social media usage in U.S. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile...;
Fang, R. (2020, November 4). The psychology of why social media is so addictive. Medium. https://uxdesign.cc/the-psychology-of-why-social-media-is-so-addictive-67830266657d. ;
'The Social Dilemma' - What is the social dilemma? The Social Dilemma. (2021, May 20). https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/the-dilemma/. ;
Levenson, J. C., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Colditz, J. B., & Primack, B. A. (2017, July 5). Social Media Use Before Bed and Sleep Disturbance Among Young Adults in the United States: A Nationally Representative Study. OUP Academic. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/40/9/zsx113/3926043?login=true. ;
Garett, R., Liu, S., & Young, S. D. (2018). The Relationship Between Social Media Use and Sleep Quality among Undergraduate Students. Information, communication and society. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5881928/. ;
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Disclaimer: This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. The topics being discussed are meant as a self-help tool for you own use. It is not psychotherapy or counseling. This information is to be used based on your own judgment. If you need to speak with a professional, you should find one local to you and contact them directly.
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