Excessive dependence on smartphones, which prevents individuals from putting them down, has been objectively proven to cause not only sleep deprivation but also depression and anxiety. The results show that individuals at the level of smartphone addiction are at a risk of experiencing insomnia and depression that can soar up to 2.8 times higher than those who are not.
A research team led by Professor Cho Cheol-hyun of Korea University Anam Hospital's Department of Psychiatry announced on the 9th that they confirmed this fact by analyzing the correlation between the risk of excessive smartphone use and sleep and mental health indicators in 246 adults who reported insomnia symptoms.
The results of this study were published in the latest issue of the international journal 《Journal of Behavioral Addictions》.
The research team first classified the study participants into high-risk (141 people) and low-risk (105 people) groups for smartphone use through a screening questionnaire for excessive smartphone use (SOS-Q). This questionnaire consisted of items that could determine addiction, such as ‘Does smartphone use interfere with daily life?’ and ‘Do you feel anxious and uneasy when you cannot use it?’
Subsequently, the research team analyzed various biometric data such as sleep time, activity level, and heart rate of the participants through a smartphone application (app) to examine the correlation with excessive smartphone use.
As a result, the high-risk group for excessive smartphone use was about 2.6 times more likely to experience moderate to severe insomnia compared to the low-risk group, and they were also about 2.4 times more likely to report significantly lower sleep quality.
The gap was even more pronounced in mental health indicators. The high-risk group was about 2.8 times more likely to suffer from major depressive disorder, that is, depression, compared to the low-risk group. The risk of experiencing anxiety symptoms without any specific reason was also analyzed to be about 1.6 times higher.
Professor Cho Cheol-hyun, who led the study, emphasized, “Through this research, we were able to confirm the differences in daily sleep, biological rhythms, and mental health between high-risk and low-risk smartphone users,” and added, “Digital behavioral information such as smartphone usage patterns should be considered in the evaluation and management process of insomnia.”
