“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”
George Orwell, from “ 1984 ”
February 22, 2008 – Deflating the Bogus Insomnia “Epidemic”
June 25, 2013 – Insomnia declared ‘public health epidemic’ by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
June 12, 2015 – Have insomnia? Better night’s sleep all in your head
June 8, 2016 – The Modern Sleeplessness Epidemic That Isn’t – nymag.com
August 17, 2016 - Is our fear of insomnia what’s actually keeping us up at night?
Those five quotes above demonstrate that the folks in charge are lying to you about basically everything, including insomnia.
Great story from this past weekend…I’m helping my parents move, and my nephew and his girlfriend (both 21 years old) are helping, also. At some point, my phone rings, and I pull out my (flip) phone, say excuse me, and turn aside to take the call. The girlfriend gets wide-eyed and says “The FLIP phone! Who ARE you?”
As I pressed the button to pick up the call I smiled wryly and replied “I’m Jeff Miller.” Later realizing that the Super Awesome-o reply would have been “no one of consequence” (also while smiling wryly). That being Westley from " the Princess Bride ", of course.
We all had a quick convo about the subject. I said “it’s a great lifestyle - you should consider it - we all have plenty of online access, it doesn’t need to extend to your phone.” The girlfriend replied “yeah, in our generation, it’s uncool to look at your phone all the time. That’s something parents do. We want to go back to the old phones.” Which I thought was tremendously inspiring. We’re already leaving it behind, do you see?
I closed and got a big laugh by saying “the number one quarterback in the NFL has a flip phone. And don’t forget about Jason Bourne.”
The nephew I mentioned is having trouble with insomnia, as is my wife, as is a large chunk of our population, as I’ve tried to document in the reportage below.
The 1920 “Journal of the American Medical Association” nugget that kicks it off is very interesting to me, in that it documents Encephalitis, an acute inflammation of the brain, as the driver behind insomnia. That technology in general, and Ssmart phone in particular might engender inflammation of the brain certainly doesn’t sound like a wild premise to me, but for now it’s just another data point in this developing investigation.
One of the articles, from five days ago, helpfully elucidates that “There is an epidemic of women who simply cannot sleep at night” (italics mine), but then lays down clouds of chaff, namely “ Though I manage to drop off within the hour, come about 1.30am I’ll be awake again, due to either a hot flush or a nightmare — which I’ve read can also be hormone related .”
“ I’ve read ”, ah, mirth. Where did you read it, pray? Whenever they don’t cite the source, you know it’s bullshit, a plausible deniability trial-balloon designed to keep your eyes off the bigger picture.
51% of the population are women. Only a subset of those 51% are in “ mid-life ”, and afflicted with “ hormonal issues. ” If nightmares are “ hormone related ”, then how can the sentence, below, “just one in ten agreed with the statement: “I would describe my dreams as pleasant” be true?
Well, it IS true…it’s just the ruse that “ hormonal issues ” at “ mid life ” are what’s driving the nightmares that’s false.
You can see in that nightmare quote how they diabolically inverted it: “90% reported nightmares” becomes “ just one in ten agreed with the statement: "I would describe my dreams as pleasant ."
Twisting, spinning, bobbing, weaving, Preciousss.
Here it is again, from 2012: “ One-in-three Britons now suffer sleep problems, and hormonal issues mean women are plagued by insomnia more than men .”
No, sorry, the other variable of the mid-life women is their PHONE ADDICTION, their facebook addiction, their texting addiction.
But don’t take my word for it, ask my nephew’s girlfriend:
“yeah, in our generation, it’s uncool to look at your phone all the time. That’s something parents do. We want to go back to the old phones.”
1920 – The Journal of the American Medical Association
From our observation of these cases we are convinced that persistent insomnia is a fairly common sequel of acute epidemic (lethargic) encephalitis in children.
(Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain – ed)
September 30, 2005 – Insomnia in women : an overlooked epidemic? - NCBI
February 22, 2008 – Deflating the Bogus Insomnia “Epidemic” | DiscoverMagazine.com
May 13, 2010 – Trouble sleeping? Maybe it’s your iPad
March 7, 2011 - Gadgets lead to insomnia epidemic - TG Daily
March 7, 2011 – Can’t sleep? Blame your computer, cell phone | Computerworld
March 14, 2012 - Insomnia - the dos and don’ts of a modern epidemic | Newshub
June 12, 2012 – Constant Internet access ‘causes sleep disorders and depression with late night users most likely to suffer’
People who make heavy use of mobile phones and computers run a greater risk of sleep disturbances , stress and symptoms of mental health
Put together, the results showed a clear link between heavy computer and mobile phone use and disturbed sleep.
Spending long hours in front of the computer was associated with depression in women but not in men. The researchers from the University of Gothenburg suspect this may be to do with differences in the way the sexes use technology.
August 1, 2012 – Warwick Medical School researchers have found a rate of 16.6 per cent of the population reporting insomnia and other severe sleep disturbances in the countries surveyed – close to the 20 per cent found in the general adult population in the West , according to nationwide surveys in Canada and the US.
Nov 25, 2012 - One-in-three Britons now suffer sleep problems, and hormonal issues mean women are plagued by insomnia more than men
February 22, 2013 – How artificial light is wrecking your sleep, and what to do about it
June 25, 2013 – Insomnia declared 'public health epidemic’
Americans are so sleep deprived that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention two years ago declared insufficient sleep a national “public health epidemic” that effects productivity and can damage health.
As many as 48 percent of Americans report experiencing occasional insomnia, according to the National Sleep Foundation, while 22 percent report having difficulty sleeping every, or almost every, night.
Sep 14, 2013 - You’re not alone: insomnia has reached epidemic proportions.
January 7, 2014 – Smartphones Can Cause Insomnia : Harvard - Newsmax.com
April 4, 2014 – Smartphone light may make most young people lose sleep
The proportion of people thought to be getting too little sleep had risen by a fifth since a “bedroom poll” conducted last year by the National Sleep Foundation.
" This is a huge rise , and the results are extremely worrying because getting less than seven hours sleep a night is below the recommended guidelines, and is associated with a range of problems, including an increased risk of weight gain, heart attacks, diabetes and cancer," Prof Wiseman said.
The people surveyed were asked if they used a computer, tablet or smartphone in the two hours before bed.
They were also asked about dreams and just one in ten agreed with the statement: “I would describe my dreams as pleasant.”
April 4, 2014 – Six in 10 Brits now sleep deprived because of smartphones and computers
The number of Brits reporting to be sleep deprived has jumped 50 per cent with many more now using smartphones and computers before bed
June 26, 2014 – Cell phones believed to cause serious sleep problems -
February 2, 2015 – Too much exposure to smartphone screens ruins your sleep, study finds …
February 24, 2015 - How Smartphones Hurt Sleep - The Atlantic
February 25, 2015 – Journal of Youth and Adolescence
Adolescents’ Electronic Media Use at Night, Sleep Disturbance, and Depressive Symptoms in the Smartphone Age
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of increasing vulnerability for poor mental health, including depression. Sleep disturbance is an important risk factor for the development of depression during adolescence. Excessive electronic media use at night is a risk factor for both adolescents’ sleep disturbance and depression. To better understand the interplay between sleep, depressive symptoms, and electronic media use at night, this study examined changes in adolescents’ electronic media use at night and sleep associated with smartphone ownership. Also examined was whether sleep disturbance mediated the relationship between electronic media use at night and depressive symptoms. 362 adolescents (12–17 year olds, M = 14.8, SD = 1.3; 44.8 % female) were included and completed questionnaires assessing sleep disturbance (short sleep duration and sleep difficulties) and depressive symptoms. Further, participants reported on their electronic media use in bed before sleep such as frequency of watching TV or movies, playing video games, talking or text messaging on the mobile phone, and spending time online. Smartphone ownership was related to more electronic media use in bed before sleep, particularly calling/sending messages and spending time online compared to adolescents with a conventional mobile phone. Smartphone ownership was also related to later bedtimes while it was unrelated to sleep disturbance and symptoms of depression. Sleep disturbance partially mediated the relationship between electronic media use in bed before sleep and symptoms of depression. Electronic media use was negatively related with sleep duration and positively with sleep difficulties, which in turn were related to depressive symptoms. Sleep difficulties were the more important mediator than sleep duration. The results of this study suggest that adolescents might benefit from education regarding sleep hygiene and the risks of electronic media use at night.
June 12, 2015 – Have insomnia? Better night’s sleep all in your head - CNN.com
June 24, 2015 – Sleepless in America: How Digital Devices Keep Us Up All Night …
October 12, 2015 – By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500. Have you ever wondered how insomnia has become such a major issue ?
November 5, 2015 – One of the most commonly-cited reasons for insomnia is the blue light emitted from devices like smartphones or laptops
November 15, 2015 - Smartphones cause insomnia, study finds
Spending too much time with the blue-tinted screens creates sleeping problems. That lack of sleep can cause diseases, even death. But blue light isn’t all bad, some say
Over 600 participants were studied over 30-day periods, and researchers overwhelmingly found that the more people used their smartphones, particularly just before bed, the worse sleep was for them.
“Screen-time is associated with poor sleep,” the journal article says.
June 8, 2016 – The Modern Sleeplessness Epidemic That Isn’t – nymag.com
There Is No Modern Sleeplessness Epidemic
August 17, 2016 - Is our fear of insomnia what’s actually keeping us up at night? - The …
November 15, 2016 – People addicted to their smartphones have been found to be more prone to having anxiety, insomnia, eye strain and poor social relationships.
January 18, 2017 - The silent scourge of mid-life insomnia | Daily Mail Online
The silent scourge of mid-life insomnia: Weight gain, health problems and violent mood swings - one chronic sufferer reveals the toll of the epidemic NO ONE talks about
There is an epidemic of women who simply cannot sleep at night
Liz Bailey, 52, is sometime so tires she can barely even speak
Jacqueline Hooton, 53, says she dreads the thought of bedtime
Do you struggle with insomnia? Email your story to [email protected]
I do all the things the experts recommend to help induce sleep, such as reading and avoiding caffeine, and even have a reminder that flashes up on my phone at 10pm, an hour before I go to bed, to start winding down.
Though I manage to drop off within the hour, come about 1.30am I’ll be awake again, due to either a hot flush or a nightmare — which I’ve read can also be hormone related .
(tries to pass off nightmares as ‘ hormone related’ –ed)
Menopausal women are nearly four times more likely to have insomnia, and recent figures suggest that, in Britain, some 15 million prescriptions for sleeping tablets are thrown at this problem every year. And it’s not just the moodswings: chronic insomnia — defined as disrupted sleep that occurs at least three nights per week and lasts at least three months — has significant health implications and has been linked to obesity, high blood pressure, dementia and even cancer.
The physiological symptoms of the menopause are held principally to blame: hot flushes and adrenaline surges throw me like an ejector seat into wakefulness in the middle of the night, with heart pounding and sheets sopping.
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine
Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Volume 13, number 1
The Use of Technology at Night: Impact on Sleep and Health
Since mankind first tamed fire, we have been using artificial light to extend the waking day. As technology has progressed, our relationship with the night has changed. With widespread use of electric lights, the night has essentially become optional. But this is not an ideal perspective for health and well-being. Adverse outcomes arise from extending wakefulness1,2 or even shifting it later.3,4 In recent years, the use of electronic devices in the bedroom has increased dramatically. However, not much is known at the population level about who uses technology in the bedroom, what sort of technology is used, how much is used, and how this use affects sleep.
In this issue of JCSM, Gradisar and colleagues report results of the 2011 Sleep in America Poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, which focused on technology use and relationships to sleep.5 The results show that approximately 90% of Americans report some technology use in the hour before bed. Although television was the most popular overall, young adults were more likely to be using cell phones. Other demographic differences existed as well, with younger adults being more likely to use computers/laptops and video game consoles. Differences regarding gender, race/ethnicity and relationship status were also reported.
The authors also found that technology use was associated with sleep patterns. For example, the more types of devices used, the more individuals reported difficulty falling asleep and maintaining sleep, especially if the use of technology was active. Regarding intrusions into sleep, 22% reported going to sleep with cell phone ringers on in their bedroom and 10% reported awakenings at least a few nights per week due to their phone. Among those with the ringer on, being awakened by the cell phone was significantly associated with difficulty maintaining sleep.
This study had a number of important strengths. The random sample contributes to the generalizability of these findings. Also, this study represents one of the first times that technology use in the bedroom is surveyed, especially relative to sleep. In addition to its strengths, a number of significant limitations suggest future research directions. For example, the lack of precision in the survey instrument makes conclusions difficult to draw. For example, using a phone or tablet or computer could indicate a passive activity (e.g., watching a movie, browsing the internet) or an interactive one (e.g., communicating with people, playing video games, social networking). Some activities may have varying degrees of interactivity; for example, playing a video game or talking on the phone may be more impactful on sleep than texting or browsing the internet. In addition, future research that includes more standard assessments of sleep would aid in interpretations of results and more complex statistical analyses will more thoroughly elucidate relationships.
The landscape of technology use in the bedroom is changing rapidly. We need to design research studies that will effectively assess patterns of use in the real world. For example, it is plausible that individuals who use smartphones are using them in the bedroom—to check emails, send texts, use social networks, play games, or simply use its alarm to wake up in the morning. Perhaps more carefully assessing quantity and timing of passive versus active consumption of technology would be helpful, as would be assessing interruptions by and uses of devices in the middle of the night.
One particular challenge in conducting this type of research is that individual users may themselves not be able to recall specific events in granular detail. An individual user may text for a few minutes, check e-mails, watch a video, then send additional texts before going to bed, all within 15-20 minutes. Indeed, it may be that the only way to accurately capture this data would be through monitoring applications installed on the devices themselves. This requires that researchers not only understand the possible technologies in play, but they may also need to directly manipulate/measure them, with the consent of the user.
Despite these challenges, the issue of technology relative to sleep is an important one. Nearly all adults, especially young adults, use technology before bed. As the possibilities increase for talking, texting, browsing, emailing, working, playing, posting, and reading before bed, and as a portal to information and social networks becomes an arm’s reach away in the middle of the night, and as the devices that go “beep” in the night become more common in the bedroom, it is important for sleep researchers to understand how these changing patterns of use affect sleep and, in turn, health and well-being.
