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The Impact of Using Cell Phones After Light-Out on Sleep Quality, Headache, Tiredness, and Distractibility Among Students of a University in North of Iran.

Iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences · 2015 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2985

In this cross-sectional survey, 60% of students reported using cell phones after lights-out. Late-night phone use was significantly associated with insomnia, low energy, tiredness, and headache; after adjusting for stressful events, only the association with …

Study snapshot

PublicationIranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences · 2015
Study typecross_sectional
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cell phone is a mere fascinating, as well as entertainment object and serves to keep young individuals in constant contact with their peers; and gives them a feeling of autonomy, identity and credibility. OBJECTIVES: Considering the increasing trend of using cell phones, the aim of the current study was to assess the extent to which the students of Mazandaran university of medical sciences use their phones after light-out, and to determine its relationship with sleep quality, headache, tiredness, and distractibility, after elimination of the impact of stressful events. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Overall, 358 students from different schools of the university participated in a cross-sectional study with self-report questionnaires (demographic questionnaire, cell phone use questionnaire, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and social readjustment rating scale). Descriptive indices were used to express data, and the chi-square and logistic regression were used to interpret the results. RESULTS: Overall, 60% of the students used their cell phones after lights were out. There was a significant relationship between using cell phones late at night and insomnia, low energy, tiredness and headache. Once the impact of stressful events was eliminated, the relationship remained significant only for insomnia. No significant relationship was observed between using cell phones and distractibility. CONCLUSIONS: Students of Mazandaran university of medical sciences used their cell phones extensively after lights were out and the resulting insomnia may have affected their learning, as well as the quality of medical services provided by them.

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 directionmixed
PopulationStudents of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (North of Iran)
Sample size358
Exposureuse after lights-out (late at night)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In this cross-sectional survey, 60% of students reported using cell phones after lights-out. Late-night phone use was significantly associated with insomnia, low energy, tiredness, and headache; after adjusting for stressful events, only the association with insomnia remained significant. No significant association was found with distractibility.

Outcomes measured

  • sleep quality/insomnia
  • headache
  • tiredness
  • low energy
  • distractibility
  • stressful events (as covariate)

Limitations

  • Cross-sectional design (cannot infer causality)
  • Self-report questionnaires for exposure and outcomes
  • Exposure characterized as phone use after lights-out without EMF metrics (e.g., frequency, SAR, duration quantified)
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "use after lights-out (late at night)"
  },
  "population": "Students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (North of Iran)",
  "sample_size": 358,
  "outcomes": [
    "sleep quality/insomnia",
    "headache",
    "tiredness",
    "low energy",
    "distractibility",
    "stressful events (as covariate)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In this cross-sectional survey, 60% of students reported using cell phones after lights-out. Late-night phone use was significantly associated with insomnia, low energy, tiredness, and headache; after adjusting for stressful events, only the association with insomnia remained significant. No significant association was found with distractibility.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional design (cannot infer causality)",
    "Self-report questionnaires for exposure and outcomes",
    "Exposure characterized as phone use after lights-out without EMF metrics (e.g., frequency, SAR, duration quantified)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "late-night use",
    "lights-out",
    "students",
    "insomnia",
    "sleep quality",
    "headache",
    "tiredness",
    "Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index",
    "cross-sectional"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "sleep",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Assesses relationship between late-night mobile phone use and insomnia/sleep quality outcomes."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.17795/ijpbs-2010
PubMed: 26834802

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