Smartphone addiction ruins sleep, study says, but you can fight back - CNN

Researchers asked the students to complete two questionnaires on their sleep quality and smartphone usage, in person and online.

Using a 10-question validated scale that was developed to assess smartphone addiction in children, nearly 40% of the university students qualified as "addicted" to smartphones, the study found.

"Our estimated prevalence is consistent with other reported studies in young adult populations globally, which are in the range of 30--45%," lead author and King's College medical student Sei Yon Sohn and her coauthors wrote in the study.

"Later time of use was also significantly associated with smartphone addiction, with use after 1 a.m.

Melatonin, secreted in a daily 24-hour circadian rhythm, is often referred to as a "sleep hormone," because we sleep better during the night when levels peak.

Reaction to study

"This is a cross-sectional study, and as such cannot lead to any firm conclusions about phone usage as the cause of reduced sleep quality," said Bob Patton, a lecturer in clinical psychology at the University of Surrey, via email.

"It does, however, provide some compelling evidence that the nature of smart phone usage and its related consequences are important considerations in addressing the emerging phenomenon of 'smartphone addiction,'" said Patton, who is lead for the Drugs, Alcohol & Addictive Behaviours Research Group at the university.

Andrew Przybylski, a senior research fellow and associate professor at the University of Oxford, disagreed that science has validated any "so called 'smartphone addiction,'" as it is "not recognised by any global health body and is not a psychiatric disorder."

"Readers should be cautious of making any firm conclusions about the impact of smart phone use in the general population, or the idea that they're addictive in any objective sense, on the basis of this work," said Przybylski, who is also director of research at the Oxford Internet Institute, via email.

The authors acknowledged the limitations of their study, but stated: "Should smartphone addiction become firmly established as a focus of clinical concern, those using their phones after midnight or using their phones for 4 or more hours per day are likely to be at high risk."

Fighting back to gain zzz's

Cellphone addiction is also known as nomophobia, which stands for NO MObile PHOne phoBIA -- a 21st century term for the fear of not being able to use your cellphone or other smart device.

There is a quiz you can take to find out.

If you, or a loved one, seem to have the symptoms of smart device or internet addiction, experts have some suggestions.

Schedule timeouts.