Scrolling less and sleeping better: Why I have been supporting “Scroll Free September”, and beyond!

I have recently joined the School of Education here at the University as a Reader in Cognitive and Developmental Psychology, and Director of the MSc Psychology and Education (conversion) course. One of my research areas concerns the role of sleep in children’s development, and I am really passionate about raising awareness about the importance of a good night’s sleep. It is as important for a child’s development as eating well and getting plenty of exercise — yet it is often ignored when thinking about child health.

In October 2017 I led a large research project with parents of children aged between 6 and 11 years old. Together with collaborators from Leeds University and Silentnight, we investigated how lack of sleep affects the daily wellbeing and the academic development of British children and their parents. This was the first major study to characterise children’s sleeping habits in the UK, and we collected data from a survey with over 1,000 parents.

Our data showed that children who experience inadequate sleep are more likely to have problems paying attention in class, forgetting things and keeping up with school work. As a result, children may then end up missing school because they feel unwell.

The NHS suggests that children aged between six and 11 should be getting around 10 hours of sleep each night see but our research showed that 36 per cent of primary school children often sleep for less than eight hours.

What was clear from the data is that many parents are not making sleep one of the main priorities for their children, or for themselves. By looking at bedtime and waking times we saw that families consistently go to bed late during the week, and that children are regularly have later nights at weekends, which can disrupt their sleep patterns.

Concentration and the ability to learn can be severely affected by lack of sleep. By establishing a regular sleep routine, it will enable the whole family to sleep better, perform better at school and work, and be happier and healthier as a result. What’s not to enjoy?

So, how can we help children, and even adults suffering from lack of sleep?

Last month The Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) launched Scroll Free September — the world’s first large-scale social media-free month, sponsored by Silentnight. I was actively involved with the RSPH and Silentnight supporting and promoting this campaign. It really seemed to capture attention and sparked interesting conversations about our relationships with technological devices generally, with social media more specifically, and with sleep. You can listen to examples here and here . I think the #scrollfreeseptember provided a great opportunity to re-evaluate the way individuals and their families interact with technology, providing a platform to take back control of technology and social media use — which is often implicated in sleep problems.

September is over, but it is not too late to learn from the messages that have come out of #scrollfreeseptember. Take a moment to consider the tips below to build a healthier, more balanced relationship with social media in the future and improve your sleep routines for a better night’s sleep.

The RSPH have come up with 5 different plans to fit your scroll free journey, and there is no reason you couldn’t try this any month of the year:

● Cold turkey — Giving up social media altogether for the whole 30 days

● Social butterfly — Ignoring social media at social events

● Night owl — Turning off social every night from 6pm

● Busy bee — Taking a break from personal social accounts at work

● Sleeping dog — Giving up social media in the bedroom

Did you take part in Scroll Free September? How did it go for you? I’d love to know!

Dr Anna Weighall

Tweet me @DrAnnaWeighall