That one mistake you make before going to bed that scientists say will keep you awake for HOURS
Late night caffeine and midnight parties are known to disrupt our sleep — but experts warn that something else is causing restless nights.
According to a Duke University study, posting to social media shortly before bed can delay the time it takes people to fall asleep by up to three hours.
The researchers of 50,000 people found that those who posted on social media within an hour of their bedtime were nearly twice as likely to stay up late.
Those who posted multiple times shortly before bed were also more likely to be up late into the night than those who posted only once.
It is thought that getting likes and comments causes an adrenaline rush that blocks sleep hormones. Exposure to blue light from our phones is also known to disrupt the sleep cycle.
Posting on social media within an hour of bedtime leads to someone staying up later, study finds (stock image)
Dr. William Meyerson, a data scientist who led the research, explained The sun“This could be the result of a variety of factors — from screen lighting disrupting circadian rhythm to anticipating a response,” he said.
“Reddit users are more likely to stay up past their bedtime and post on nights when they post an hour before bed, especially if they were active on high engagement forums.”
For the study, published this month in the journal Sleep medicineresearchers looked at data from 51,000 people who used Reddit.
They looked at 236 million posts posted by users between 2005 – when the platform was created – and 2021.
Scientists used a model to estimate users’ bedtime based on the timestamps of their Reddit posts.
They then analyzed data on when users posted something within an hour of their average bedtime compared to nights when they posted much earlier to find out if their bedtime was delayed.
The results showed that on nights when users posted for the first time early in the evening, only about six percent posted past their estimated bedtime.
Data also showed that when users posted late at night, 10 percent were still posting after bedtime.
But when they posted four or more messages late at night, 23 percent still posted after they’d fallen asleep normally.
The researchers wrote in the study, “We found that users were much more likely to stay on Reddit one to three hours after their respective estimated average bedtime on nights when their last Reddit post before bed was within an hour of their estimated average bedtime. ‘
Researchers have long warned that screen use late at night can keep someone awake because it disrupts the circadian rhythm — or the body’s sleep-wake cycle.
At night as the sun goes down, levels of melatonin – the sleep hormone – begin to rise in the brain, making us feel sleepy.
But exposure to blue light from screens can suppress the hormone’s release.
Posting on social media late at night can also disrupt sleep, as they can leave a feeling of anticipation.
Many will wait to receive notifications in response to their message, each triggering a release of dopamine — the feel-good hormone — in the brain.
This increases mental activity and alertness, making it difficult to relax and delaying the relaxation needed before going to sleep.
Limitations of the study included that it was based on estimated average bedtimes, rather than user reports.
It also couldn’t account for people who passively used social media or viewed and read posts without commenting.