Researchers from Bocconi University have found that people with DSL access sleep around 25 minutes less than those who do not have without DSL Internet. Furthermore, those with DSL access sleep tend to sleep less than the 7 and 9 hours, which is the amount of sleep recommended by healthcare practitioners. In addition, Internet users also tend to be those who are less satisfied with their sleep.
The most significant sleep deprivation effects are shown with people, who tend to be very busy the mornings and who use electronic devices heavily in the evening. This is because of the psychological effect of digital temptation, which can lead to a delay in bedtime, and hence decreases sleep duration for individuals.
These types of findings are regraded of social and economic importance in the context that, for example, in Germany (where the research was conducted) 200,000 working days are lost each year due to poor sleep quality. The impact upon teenagers and young adults (aged 13-30) appears greatest, as the research indicates.
Summing up the study findings, lead researcher Professor Francesco Billari said: “Individuals with DSL access tend to sleep 25 minutes less than their counterparts without DSL Internet.”
He adds: “They are significantly less likely to sleep between 7 and 9 hours, the amount recommended by the scientific community, and are less likely to be satisfied with their sleep.”
The research has been published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, with the research paper headed “Broadband internet, digital temptations, and sleep.”
