Effects of smartphone overuse on headache, sleep and quality of life in migraine patients

2019 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1806

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019

Study typecross_sectional

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of smartphone overuse on headache, sleep and quality of life in migraine patients Demir YP, Sumer MM. Effects of smartphone overuse on headache, sleep and quality of life in migraine patients. Neurosciences (Riyadh). 2019 Apr;24(2):115-121. doi: 10.17712/nsj.2019.2.20180037. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of smartphone overuse on headache, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and quality of life in migraine patients. METHODS: This study is a single-center, cross sectional comparative study. This study was conducted between July and September 2017 in the Neurology Clinic of a private hospital. Migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire was used to evaluate the disability status, and Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS) was used to evaluate smartphone use frequency. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), 24-h Migraine Quality of Life Questionnaire (24-h MQoLQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were used to evaluate the pain intensity, quality of life, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness, respectively. RESULTS: The study included a total of 123 patients. There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of pain intensity, frequency and duration as well as VAS, PSQI, 24-h MQoLQ and ESS (p less than 0.05) scores. There was a negative correlation between MPPUS and PSQI (r=-0.367, p less than 0.05); a strong positive correlation between MPPUS and ESS (r=0.675, p less than 0.05) and a negative correlation between MPPUS and 24-h MQoLQ (r=-0.508, p less than 0.05). CONCLUSION: Smartphone use has been observed to increase headache duration and frequency in migraine patients. Its overuse in migraine patients is related to poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness; furthermore, as the smartphone use increases, sleep quality decreases, daytime sleepiness increases and quality of life decreases. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecross_sectional

Effect directionharm

PopulationMigraine patients (single-center neurology clinic, private hospital)

Sample size123

ExposureNot supplied

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In 123 migraine patients, groups differed significantly in headache pain intensity, frequency and duration and in VAS, PSQI, 24-h MQoLQ and ESS scores (p<0.05). Smartphone problematic use (MPPUS) correlated negatively with PSQI (r=-0.367) and 24-h MQoLQ (r=-0.508), and positively with ESS (r=0.675) (all p<0.05). The authors conclude that increased smartphone use is associated with increased headache duration/frequency, poorer sleep quality, greater daytime sleepiness, and lower quality of life.

Outcomes measured

Headache pain intensity (VAS)
Headache frequency
Headache duration
Sleep quality (PSQI)
Daytime sleepiness (ESS)
Quality of life (24-h MQoLQ)
Migraine disability (MIDAS)

Limitations

Cross-sectional design (cannot establish causality)
Single-center study in a private hospital setting
Exposure assessed via self-report scale (MPPUS) rather than objective phone use or EMF metrics
No EMF-specific exposure metrics reported (e.g., frequency, SAR)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "smartphone/mobile phone use (problematic/overuse)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Migraine patients (single-center neurology clinic, private hospital)",
  "sample_size": 123,
  "outcomes": [
    "Headache pain intensity (VAS)",
    "Headache frequency",
    "Headache duration",
    "Sleep quality (PSQI)",
    "Daytime sleepiness (ESS)",
    "Quality of life (24-h MQoLQ)",
    "Migraine disability (MIDAS)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In 123 migraine patients, groups differed significantly in headache pain intensity, frequency and duration and in VAS, PSQI, 24-h MQoLQ and ESS scores (p<0.05). Smartphone problematic use (MPPUS) correlated negatively with PSQI (r=-0.367) and 24-h MQoLQ (r=-0.508), and positively with ESS (r=0.675) (all p<0.05). The authors conclude that increased smartphone use is associated with increased headache duration/frequency, poorer sleep quality, greater daytime sleepiness, and lower quality of life.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional design (cannot establish causality)",
    "Single-center study in a private hospital setting",
    "Exposure assessed via self-report scale (MPPUS) rather than objective phone use or EMF metrics",
    "No EMF-specific exposure metrics reported (e.g., frequency, SAR)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "smartphone overuse",
    "mobile phone",
    "migraine",
    "headache frequency",
    "headache duration",
    "sleep quality",
    "daytime sleepiness",
    "quality of life",
    "MPPUS",
    "PSQI",
    "ESS",
    "VAS",
    "MIDAS"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.17712/nsj.2019.2.20180037
PubMed: Not supplied

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