NSF reviews sleep research, details impact of screens 

STONY BROOK, N.Y. - Sleep experts selected by the National Sleep Foundation to review 574 peer-reviewed published studies have agreed that, in general, screen use impairs sleep health among children and adolescents. They also found that the content of screen use before sleep impairs sleep health of children and adolescents, and behavioral strategies and interventions may attenuate the negative effects of screen use on sleep health. ”Upon review of the current literature, our panel achieved consensus on the importance of reducing pre-bedtime digital media to improve sleep health, especially for children and adolescents,” says Lauren Hale, PhD, chair of the Consensus Panel and professor in the Program of Public Health at Stony Brook University, and in the Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook. “We also identified the gaps in the literature and the need for future research.” The findings, outlined in “The Impact of Screen Use on Sleep Health Across Lifespan: A National Sleep Foundation Consensus Statement,” were published in Sleep Health, the national journal of the NSF. The NSF provides recommendations for best practices to reduce the impact of screen use on sleep, including avoiding stimulating or upsetting material near bedtime; implementing early, regular and relaxing bedtime routines without screens; setting time limits around screen use, especially in the evening and at night; and parents modeling appropriate nighttime screen use for children.