Associations between media use at bedtime and sleep outcomes in an adult cohort based on the population of Geneva

Stephanie Schrempft, Hélène Baysson, Ambra Chessa, Elsa Lorthe, María-Eugenia Zaballa, Silvia Stringhini, Idris Guessous, Mayssam Nehme, for the Specchio study group.
Associations between bedtime media use and sleep outcomes in an adult population-based cohort.Sleep Medicine, September 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2024.06.029

Abstract

Aim: To examine in more detail the relationship between bedtime media use and sleep in adults.

Methods: Media use at bedtime and sleep outcomes were examined by questionnaire in 4188 adults (59% female, ages ranging from 19 to 94 years) from the Specchio cohort based in Geneva, Switzerland. We tested the associations between media use at bedtime and sleep (bedtime, wake-up time, sleep onset latency, sleep duration, sleep quality, insomnia and daytime sleepiness), adjusting for previous measures of sleep, mental health and health behaviours; then we examined whether media use at bedtime explained the associations between individual factors (age, chronotype and mental health) and sleep; and finally whether individual factors moderated the associations between media use at bedtime and sleep.

Results: Frequent screen use in the 30 minutes before going to bed at night was associated with a late bedtime (≥ midnight; OR [95% CI] = 1.90 [1.44, 2.51], p < 0.001), short sleep duration (<7 h; 1.21 [1.01, 1.46], p < 0.05) and excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth score > 9; 1.47 [1.25, 1.74], p < 0.001), adjusting for all covariates. Media use at bedtime partially moderated the association between these sleep outcomes, younger age and evening chronotype. Mental health moderated the association between media use at bedtime and sleep quality/insomnia, such that media use at bedtime was only associated with poorer sleep quality/insomnia in those reporting better mental health.

Conclusions: Frequent media use at bedtime was associated with a variety of sleep outcomes, independent of relevant covariates. Limiting the use of screens at bedtime is important for promoting sleep in adults. People with poorer mental health probably require additional support to improve the quality of their sleep.

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