Those who follow this blog know one of my interests is the need to teach students some rules to avoid the pitfalls of using new technologies.
Here’s a couple of things I found via Annie Murphy Hall’s ‘The Brilliant Blog’
“Children and teens who spend time watching television, playing video games or using the computer right before bedtime are likely to take longer to fall asleep than those who watch less or none, according to new research reported in HealthDay News”
Shutting down 90 minutes before bed seems to be the recommended time.
This second study shows that smart phones are the worst culprits to cozy up with and actually decrease your effectiveness the next day.
“In a pair of studies surveying a broad spectrum of U.S. workers, Russell Johnson and colleagues found that people who monitored their smart phones for business purposes after 9 p.m. were more tired and were less engaged the following day on the job.”
http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2014/nighttime-smartphone-use-zaps-workers-energy/
Compounding the problem is the fact that more students are using their smart phones to study- 40% according to a study commissioned by McGraw-Hill.
So it seems that if you want to increase your chances of passing an exam, shut down the tech by 9 pm and turn off your phone (that’s OFF, and NOT in your bedroom). Get 8 hrs sleep, and if you have cram after 9 pm read your text book or notes (or e-ink eReader*)
*A lot of the research talks about blue light being part of the insomnia problem, so e-ink devices like the Kindle, Sony or Nook would be OK if you don’t use the back light, and turn off the wireless.
http://gizmodo.com/5524005/experts-kindle-helps-you-sleep-ipad-causes-insomnia