Summary: A recent study finds that people with DSL broadband internet sleep, on average, about 25 minutes less than those without DSL. The research also shows broadband users are significantly less likely to obtain the recommended 7–9 hours of sleep each night and report lower sleep satisfaction.
Source: Bocconi University.
About 200,000 working days are lost in Germany every year due to insufficient sleep, with an estimated economic loss of $60 billion, roughly 1.6% of GDP, according to a 2016 RAND Corporation report. Researchers Francesco Billari and Luca Stella of Bocconi University, together with Osea Giuntella of the University of Pittsburgh, published a study in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization that identifies access to broadband internet as one factor contributing to sleep deprivation.
Using regional variation in the rollout of broadband across Germany that stemmed from technical and historical differences in telecommunications infrastructure, the authors linked broadband availability to survey data in which individuals reported their sleep duration and satisfaction. Their analysis indicates that access to high-speed internet reduces both the amount of time people sleep and their satisfaction with sleep, particularly for those who face time constraints in the morning because of work or family responsibilities.
“Individuals with DSL access tend to sleep about 25 minutes less than comparable individuals without DSL,” says Francesco Billari, Full Professor of Demography at Bocconi University and Principal Investigator of the DisCont project funded by the European Research Council. “They are significantly less likely to sleep between 7 and 9 hours—the range generally recommended by sleep scientists—and they report lower satisfaction with their sleep.”
The reduction in sleep appears to result mainly from evening use of electronic devices. The study finds that digital activities in the hours before bedtime—such as playing video games, watching videos or television, and using personal computers or smartphones—are associated with later bedtimes. When people cannot compensate by waking later, later bedtimes lead to shorter overall sleep duration.
The specific digital temptations vary by age. For teenagers and young adults (13–30), the strongest links to insufficient sleep are time spent on video games and watching TV or online videos in the evening. For older adults (31–59), the predominant associations are with evening use of personal computers and smartphones. These differences underscore how age and the types of online activities influence sleep outcomes.
Funding: Research funded by the European Research Council.
Source: Fabio Todesco, Bocconi University.
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image Source: Image in the public domain via NeuroscienceNews.com.
Original Research: “Broadband internet, digital temptations, and sleep” by Francesco C. Billari, Osea Giuntella, and Luca Stella, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. Published August 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.jebo.2018.07.001.
Bocconi University, “Broadband Internet May Be to Blame For Sleep Deprivation.” NeuroscienceNews, August 3, 2018. (Adapted summary.)
Abstract
Broadband internet, digital temptations, and sleep
Widespread evening use of computers, mobile phones and other digital devices raises concerns that such behavior disrupts sleep and harms health and cognitive performance. High-speed internet facilitates greater access to electronic entertainment—video games, streaming video, social media and other online activities—that can delay bedtime and increase exposure to artificial light from screens. Existing evidence on a causal link between technology use near bedtime and reduced sleep is limited.
This study investigates the causal effects of access to high-speed internet on sleep. Initial correlations show that playing video games and using PCs or smartphones in the evening, as well as watching television or movies, are associated with shorter sleep duration. To identify causality, the authors exploit historical differences in telephone infrastructure that shaped the deployment of DSL across regions of Germany, using that variation as an instrument for broadband access. The analysis finds that DSL availability leads to reduced sleep duration and lower sleep satisfaction, with the strongest effects among individuals who face morning time constraints from work or family commitments. The results suggest that limiting evening digital device use or adjusting schedules could help mitigate broadband-related sleep loss.