Screen exposure hampers sleep in young teenagers

New York: Even an hour of night-time light exposure - like from a smartphone, a TV or a tablet - can hamper the release of the sleep hormone in young teenagers, a new study warns. Researchers from Rhode Island's Brown University found that the sleep biology of boys and girls aged nine to 15 and in the earlier stages of puberty were especially sensitive to light at night compared to older teenagers.

In lab experiments, researchers found that bright screens at night suppressed the production of the sleep-timing hormone melatonin significantly more in young teenagers than the same light exposure did for teenagers aged 11 to 16 who were farther into puberty.

The brighter the light in the experiments, the more melatonin was suppressed. The effects were the same for boys and girls.Students who have tablets or TVs or computers - even an 'old-school' flashlight under the covers to read - are pushing their circadian clocks to a later timing.