Is Screen-Time Interfering With Bedtime?
Sleep is fundamentally one of the most important parts of a child’s life. It is required for growth, for development, cognitive processes, and also physical processes. When a child’s sleep is interfered with by screens, sugar, or bad sleep habits, it can take a negative toll on their overall well-being.
Screen time can impact how long and how well a child sleeps. There are studies to suggest the negative impact screen time has on a child’s sleep.
Screens interrupt a child’s sleep simply because they are SO stimulating. They also contribute to sleep loss, nightmares, cyber-bullying, etc. Along with those reasons, having easy access to screens makes it difficult for a child to put them away and exercise some self-control and boundaries around them. Most children have at least 1 screen in their bedrooms: TV, iPad, Phone, Computer, Laptop, Gaming system, etc. If a child feels bored or feels like they just can’t sleep at nighttime, reaching for a screen to curb the boredom definitely contributes to sleep loss. If the content on the device is mind-numbing, exciting, scary, or even dramatic - that can contribute to sleep loss as well.
The bright “blue light” emitted from those devices also has a negative impact on the body’s natural melatonin production processes. These light emissions create alertness and it suppresses the release of our sleepy hormone, melatonin, which in turn, interferes with our body’s circadian rhythm. What this means, is that it will now be harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Time spent on devices has started replacing individualized time with parents, social outings, extra-curricular activities, and even playing outside. These activities are beneficial for sleep regulation and sleep in general. The reason why, is because mental and physical stimulation helps ensure that kids are appropriately tired at bedtime. If screen time is replacing this physical and mental stimulation, then it’s likely that children could still be awake and alert late at night.
So, what can we do about screens?
Keep them out of the bedroom.
When it’s time to go to sleep, it’s ideal to take your children’s screens out of their room. It might be an adjustment if they’re used to having them in their room 24/7, but I promise they’ll adjust. Set up a screen-time spot in your house where your child can play their games, watch a show, or chat with their friends.
Turn them off 1-2 hours before bedtime.
In order for our body’s natural production of melatonin to start producing, we need to have a solid separation from screens. The blue-light emitted from screens can be counterproductive to our body’s natural functions. Take a break from screens and implement a power-down hour within your household. This means that 1-2 hours before bedtime, no screens are used or involved.
Limit the daily usage & encourage independent play.
Putting our children in front of the TV is an easy way to get a task done around the house, and believe me, I am NOT against that. I use the TV on the daily to help me get my chores done! But, watching TV or a tablet all day can be damaging for our circadian rhythm, our social skills, and also our energy levels. Use a visual timer to indicate when screen-time is over and then encourage your child to play with their toys. Having designated screen-time each day can help you hold boundaries around screen-time usage.
I want you to know that screens aren’t all bad. They provide a quick resource for just about anything! There is tons of learning that can happen on devices - reading, spelling, learning new words, etc. It is ideal to set some boundaries around screen-time usage so that your child doesn’t feel punished, and so that you feel like you are in control of the devices.
Bailey
