London Researchers have revealed the bad effect of constantly using Facebook and most social media sites especially using it within 30 minutes of going to sleep.
*photo used for illustrative purpose*
Facebook could be dangerous for children according to a new study. The study has found teenagers who use websites such as Facebook within 30 minutes of bedtime tend to perform worse in class.
The researchers, from University College London, said this may be because it over-stimulates the brain, making it difficult to sleep afterwards. In a survey of 16 to 19-year-olds, 70 per cent said they use social media before bed – and they achieved on average 20 per cent worse grades in GCSE and A-level exams than those who did not.
Lead author, Dr Dagmara Dimitriou said it is "worrying’ they are not getting the sleep they need, adding: ‘Sleep is essential for processes such as memory consolidation and academic performance."
She explained further that light from devices themselves can stop youngsters falling asleep as it can block the release of sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, which is triggered by darkness.
The research, by the UCL Institute of Education Lifespan Learning and Sleep Laboratory, found a lack of sleep on weekdays was strongly associated with poorer academic achievement at school. They reached their conclusion after assessing 48 youngsters from an independent sixth form college in Central London by comparing answers to a questionnaire with average grades.
On average, the group only caught seven hours of sleep on a weekday night, with an average bedtime at 11.37pm. The research shows that when children get two to three hours less sleep than is needed for optimal brain development and a healthy lifestyle, it affects them academically.
Sleep is essential for processes such as memory consolidation and academic performance. Dagmara Dimitriou, study author revealed that ‘the introduction of television sets, games consoles, mobile phones, laptops and tablets into the bedroom’ has deprived many students of sleep as they spend too much time on gadgets while sacrificing sleep.
Dr Dimitriou and her team now want to examine sleep and cognitive functioning on a larger cohort of students. The study was published by the open-access journal Frontiers in Psychology today.
Earlier this year, Norwegian researchers found screen time of more than four hours a day results in a 49 per cent greater risk of taking longer than an hour to get to sleep. A survey by the University of Derby found in March that one in eight people are now addicted to their iPhone.