Can Posting on Social Media at Night Hamper Your Sleep?

Scientists have now found out why it is difficult to sleep after posting on social media.

Highlights:

Disruption of sleep comes with a host of diseases
A recent study has shown that using social media in the evening can delay bedtime significantly
The reason could be dopamine as it raises attentivity and alerts, which are not friends of sleep

Have you ever found yourself finding it hard to sleep after posting a bomb selfie on your social media? A team of scientists from Duke University and Yale University may have cracked the code. The study suggests that there is a causal relationship between using social media in the evening and delayed sleep. The study was published in the journal Sleep Medicine ().

Researchers tracked social media use and delayed sleeping patterns for 44,000 Reddit users. Prior research has shown that exposure to blue light, such as that emitted from phones and tablet computers, can lead to sleep problems because it interferes with the production of melatonin ().

Posting on Social Media Before your Bedtime can Disrupt your Sleep

The study discovered that posting to a social media site before their typical bedtime may cause people to sleep later.

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‘Ever wondered why you can’t sleep after posting something on your social media? Science may have found the answer. #sleep #socislamedia’

The researchers wondered if people's regular sleep habits were being disrupted by social media posting, particularly in the late hours.

They performed a thorough examination of data from Reddit, a social media platform, to find out. Users of Reddit can submit comments, links to information, and comments on other people's posts, just like on other social media platforms.

Over the course of 15 years, the research team examined 120 million posts posted by 44,000 users. They were able to gauge the effects of social media posting before a typical night since they were able to determine what regular site users referred to as normal bedtimes.

Dopamine: The Culprit Behind Why you Can’t Sleep

The study discovered that if a user posted to the site around an hour before their usual bedtime, they were more likely to stay up past their normal bedtime. After posting, people typically remained awake for one to three hours before going to bed.

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They stayed up even later if they posted many times before their usual bedtime.

The researchers believe that a surge in dopamine levels caused by the anticipation of a response from other users on the site may make it difficult for posters to relax and sleep.

Excessive Social Media Use in Children can Lead to Depression and Anxiety
You may want to rethink how your kids use social media as a new study has revealed that the pressure to be constantly available and respond 24/7 on online accounts can cause depression,

Previous research has shown that an increase in dopamine levels promotes mental activity and attentiveness, neither of which is favorable for sleeping.

References:

The association between evening social media use and delayed sleep may be causal: Suggestive evidence from 120 million Reddit timestamps - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37235891/)
Blocking nocturnal blue light for insomnia: A randomized controlled trial - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29101797/)

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Source-Medindia