Social Media Affect your Sleep By - Juliette Dajani

As an adolescent how much sleep do you need to be truly productive? Studies show that teenagers are meant to have 8-10 hours of sleep. Can you say you get that amount of sleep consistently? Surveys show that 11 out of 19 people in a grade 8 english class get less than eight hours of sleep. Further studies showed that out of the 11 students a majority of them spend more time on social media. This is riveting.


“ There’s no such thing as multitasking ” Jim Loer. If you look back at the hours you spend when you arrive home from school; how many of the hours are productive? The internet is suppose to be a useful source for us to use whilst we’re doing our homework but, it’s also a trap. Young adults are so eager to be connected online with each other that many of them prioritize social media over homework; as they’re doing their homework they feel obliged to go on social media websites.


The main reason teenagers aren’t getting enough sleep is because they are struggling to balance their time on social media and school work. A grade 8 student from UWCSEA states that she usually “multi tasks” as she’s doing her homework, in result she has to delay her sleeping time in order to finish her work. Because she doesn’t get enough sleep she’s more likely not to reach her full potential. It’s a repetitive circle but it’s something you can change by discipline.


A young adult accidentally broke her phone. Surprisingly she realized without her phone she got her homework done more efficiently and she had spare time to do things she was passionate about. On the other hand the young adult’s parents feedback was, without her phone her mood became a lot happier. As her emotions weren’t influenced by what was happening on social media. Heather Cleland Woods from University of Glasgow states, “There is is a link between the use of social media and overall feelings of well-being, particularly in adolescents”. Overuse of social media causes you to sleep poorly. Sleeping poorly contributes to the risks that Heather Cleland Woods was talking about and increases vulnerability to depression and anxiety. In the teenage world we connect through social media however, too much time spent on social media reduces our time for real learning.


Sleeping is vital for your brain development and body growth. Social media has its positive sides but compromising your sleep for social media has bad consequences. Studies show that sleep can improve your grades and manage your stress levels as a teenager. A bonus point for young adults like us is, sleeping reduces acne and other skin problems. If you don’t “multi task” you’ll get more time to deliver effective results.


Next time you hear a “ ping ” on your device while you’re doing homework ignore it, switch it off or close the tab. Also keep in mind that sleep is more important so get your work done faster. We think that we need to stay connected 24/7 little do we know that we’re suffering in both the long and short run.