Open AccessEffect of restricting bedtime mobile phone use on sleep, arousal, mood, and working memory: A randomized pilot trial
Author(s) -
Jingwen He,
Zhihao Tu,
Lei Xiao,
Tong Su,
Yue Tang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0228756
Subject(s) - bedtime , pittsburgh sleep quality index , mood , sleep (system call) , psychology , arousal , randomized controlled trial , audiology , medicine , clinical psychology , sleep quality , psychiatry , insomnia , computer science , social psychology , operating system
Background This study aimed to assess the effects of restricting mobile phone use before bedtime on sleep, pre-sleep arousal, mood, and working memory. Methods Thirty-eight participants were randomized to either an intervention group (n = 19), where members were instructed to avoid using their mobile phone 30 minutes before bedtime, or a control group (n = 19), where the participants were given no such instructions. Sleep habit, sleep quality, pre-sleep arousal and mood were measured using the sleep diary, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index, the Pre-sleep Arousal Scale and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule respectively. Working memory was tested by using the 0-,1-,2-back task (n-back task). Results Restricting mobile phone use before bedtime for four weeks was effective in reducing sleep latency, increasing sleep duration, improving sleep quality, reducing pre-sleep arousal, and improving positive affect and working memory. Conclusions Restricting mobile phone use close to bedtime reduced sleep latency and pre-sleep arousal and increased sleep duration and working memory. This simple change to moderate usage was recommended to individuals with sleep disturbances.