Lights out! The body needs sleep: electronic devices and sleep deficiency

Abstract

Sleep hygiene in children and young adults has been a topic of interest in scientific studies geared towards understanding metabolism, mental health, neuroscience, and in reference to the quality of life. There are multiple factors that may contribute to poor sleep hygiene in children, many of these include environmental factors and genetic components. This review article will pay particular focus on environmental factors which as of late, have been increasing contributors to poor sleep hygiene in children. Ultimately, these factors lead to unhealthy habits that transform into unhealthy lifestyles in younger populations worldwide. This article will concentrate on studies conducted in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, and Belgium. In each of these studies, children who are exposed to increased use of electronic devices such as tablet computers, television, desktop computers, and other mobile devices during the late hours of the night, are evaluated and assessed for changes in their rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycles, sleep latency, body mass index (BMI) levels, obesity risks, and other neurologic deficits which may be linked to this inappropriate use of technology during peak hours of the night. We will understand the physiology behind how sleep works, the events leading up to sleep, and disruptions that can occur, and their devastating effects.