The Impact of using the Internet and Social Media on Sleep in a group of Secondary School Students from Baghdad

Abstract

Background: Insufficient sleep due to excessive media use is linked to decrease physical activity, poor nutrition, obesity, and decreased overall health-related quality of life. Objectives: To assess the effect of using the internet and social media on the sleep of 4th-stage secondary school students. Subjects and Methods: Cross-sectional study with the analytic element; for 500 secondary school students, obtained by choosing two schools randomly from each of the six educational directorates, by using a structured questionnaire. Result: Secondary school students are involved in this study (n = 500). The study reveals that the majority of students 350 (69.7 %) were aged group (16) years old, Regarding the internet, used by the majority of the 454(90.4%), and 419 (83.5%) students had a mobile phone, 206(41.1%) of them using the internet more than 150 hours per month and concerning the students sleep; Unexplained tiredness in the morning 182(36.3%) was sometimes complained from it, about Nightmares, 187(37.3%) of students sometimes having it, 276(55%) of them wake up during sleep. Conclusion: students are using the internet more than one-fifth of their time per month, there is an association between the use of social media and short sleep duration among secondary school students that increases daytime sleepiness, unexplained tiredness in the morning, and nightmares.