Study Shows Link Between Smartphone Use and Lack of Sleep Among Teens

A new study found that teens are getting less sleep than they did before the rise of smartphones. This not at all surprising data is prompting concerns about health consequences of smartphones use and insomnia.

The study, published in the journal Sleep Medicine, looked at 370,000 adolescent participants. The two surveys were conducted over many years and included questions asking how many hours of sleep they got each night.

The researchers focused on the years from 2009 and 2015. These years were chosen because they were "when the mobile technology really saturated the market among adolescents," said Zlatan Krizan, a psychologist specializing in sleep and social behaviour at Iowa State University and co-author of the study.

There was a noticeable shift in the amount of sleep a typical teen got over the six-year period.

The data shows that teens were 16 to 17% more likely to report getting less than seven hours of sleep in 2015 than in 2009. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that is below the recommended amount of sleep for 13 to 18-year olds, which is eight to 10 hours per night.

Other factors considered during the study were working after school, homework, and watching TV. However, those numbers stayed relatively the same between 2009 and 2015.

The researchers emphasize that the lack of sleep does not solely rely on the use of phones at night. In fact, teens who used the technology for two or less hours a day didn't appear to have any issues with their sleep patterns. Those who had five hours of use or more each day were the ones who had their sleep patterns disrupted most.

With about half of all cell phone users in the U.S. having a smartphone, more and more people are seeing the impacts of the device on sleep, productivity, and even cognitive functions.

One study in particular provides preliminary research that shows smartphones are linked to reduced cognitive abilities. The researchers stated an intensive smartphone use was associated with a reduced math performance.

When heavy smartphone users were compared with nonusers, the researchers found that heavy users had a reduced excitability in the prefrontal cortex.

Avid Hadar of Ben-Gurion University, the study's corresponding author, said the findings suggest that “intensive smartphone usage can result in changes to our cognitive capabilities, bearing in mind that some of these changes may be disadvantageous and some beneficial.”


Kelsey R. is a writer and an avid world traveler. When she’s not writing or listening to 80s music, you can find her exploring different countries, taking selfies with her dog Lady, and in constant search for the perfect brownie recipe.

What kind of a parent do you want to be?

Guest post from Christina Fletcher

A child sees an ornament or beautiful item at a store, and in her own curiosity and wonder reaches up to touch it, to feel it, to know it.

As a parent, we see it from the other angle… will the ornament break, will the store person get stressed, will our child do something wrong… will we “get into trouble” or even just embarrassed?

The mirage of thought traffic that goes through our heads at that moment is almost bottlenecked, often resulting in a snapping remark of “Don’t Touch” or grabbing a child before fleeing out the door.

We then feel guilty or awkward, knowing within that we might have repressed our child’s own sense of curiosity.

As parents, we often forget that we are also still people as well. We carry with us baggage from our own childhood, from beliefs of how we should act, how our children should act and often we don’t pack light. From the moment we sit with our children in our arms for the first time, we can feel pulled in all directions, scrambling to uncover what we really think and feel: Who are we each in this role of a parent, what is important to us, what do we want our children to know for sure?

New Study Finds More Intense Physical Activity Reduces Death Risk Among Older Women

A new study from Harvard researchers found that just one brisk walk a week could cut an older woman's risk of early death by nearly 70%. The study concludes that more physical activity, especially at increased intensities, could lead to an increase in life expectancy among older females.

Previous studies have found that self-reported active people have about 20 to 30% lower death rates than those who were least active.

Interview With Author Rick Morrison Co-Author Of The Hug Store

We had the most wonderful time interviewing author Rick Morrison, co-author of The Hug Store. Discover how his very talented and creative daughter co-wrote and inspired a children's book that is having positive ripple effects beyond their wildest dreams.

Hear why he intuitively knew he needed to add information for parents and teachers on teaching kids about hugging and safe touching. He also share's an exciting announcement about a new book he's a part of called Dancing In The Unknown.

Rick will be hosting a major event taking place next year. You don't want to miss this, you're going to want to join in!

Be sure to connect with Rick on Facebook to stay connected.

You can purchase The Hug Store on Amazon. Available in hardcover or on Kindle.

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Tips For Traveling With A Toddler

Don't be caught off guard during your holiday travel. Plan ahead with these handy tips for traveling with a toddler.

Tips Courtesy of REVIEWSBEE

Sleeping Tight? Catching Enough Z's May Be More Important Than You Think

We've all experienced the feeling of running on almost no sleep. Especially as parents, it's often inevitable to push through the day groggy and exhausted. Unfortunately, it's easy to make this a pattern, shorting yourself of sleep night after night.

And it turns out that missing out on quality Z's is more harmful to our health than we thought.

Most health professionals recommend seven to nine hours of sleep per night, but what happens when you miss the mark?

Not enough sleep can affect your mood... 

Children's Book Review: The Forgetful Elephant

The Forgetful Elephant By Andrew Newman

Illustrated By Liesl Bell

We love how in each book of The Conscious Bedtime Story Club Series starts with an easy breathing meditation. Snuggle breathing.

The Forgetful Elephant is light and fun reading for your kids. Imaginations can run wild! This book touches upon the importance of self-love and acceptance, and how it is a big part of this human experience. 

Children's Book Review A Little Light

A Little Lite By Andrew Newman

Illustrated By Rosie Balyuzi

Each book in this series starts with easy breathing meditations. 

Snuggle breathing, 4 easy beautiful written simple sentences that get you on a right path of relaxing and breathing comfortably, then you take off and enjoy A Little Light.

It starts off as a story then you soon come to the realization this is you. We start off so complete. As we grow, we lose a little bit of confidence or knowing what we know. We go searching high and low for what we were born with all along. 

There are so many varieties of loving human beings out here on our planet to help us along the way when our inside light gets a little dim. Then the breakthrough happens. Your light shines on, inside and out. It can light up any room YOU enter because you are there and you are the light! 

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