Sleep Research
We have had a difficult year in which to fall asleep, and many people are actively seeking ways to improve their sleep habits.
Podcasts, music, and TV are all common ways people try to fall asleep. After surveying 3,089 Americans, we discovered that 71% do this before falling asleep. Further research shows that these may not be the best choices.
To investigate further, we conducted a study to see if these activities affect sleep. We examined how long participants took to fall asleep, how good their sleep was and how they felt upon waking up.
We asked 204 remote participants for their sleep records over two weeks using sleep trackers. Participants were divided into four groups. They had to choose one of the following activities before falling asleep: watched TV, listened or listened to music, or did nothing for at least two hours. Participants were then asked questions about their morning sleep quality. Participants were instructed to sleep for at least nine hours each night.
On average, participants who watched TV before falling asleep were three-times more likely to feel tired than those who did not engage in any electronic activity before bed. Participants fell asleep faster when they listened to music, but their sleep quality was poorer.
Sleep trackers were able to determine how long people slept by looking at how much sleep they got and how restless they were throughout their sleep. Below is the average sleep time for each of the four categories.
Average amount of sleep
- No electronic engagement 7 Hours 47 Mins
- Podcasts 7 Hours 03 Mins
- Music 6 Hours 55 Mins
- TV 6 Hours 30 Mins
The average time it took for participants to fall asleep was the following:
Time it takes to fall asleep
- No electronic engagement 17 minutes
- Podcasts 23 minutes
- Music 10 minutes
- TV 34 minutes
Participants were also asked to record how they felt each day. This is an average of the results over the two-week period.
The number of participants who felt tired upon waking up
- No electronic engagement 26
- Podcasts 54%
- Music 33%
- TV 88%
We asked participants to take note of the TV show or movie they watched before going to bed in order to find out more about how TV can affect sleep. The results showed that those who watched drama before bed slept an average of 32 minutes more than those who watched romance movies. Surprisingly though, horror and thriller viewers slept on average for 7 hours 50 minutes, despite it taking them 44 minutes to fall asleep.
Average sleep time per genre
- Romance 6 Hours 45 Mins
- Horror 7 Hours 50 Mins
- Reality 7 Hours 17 Mins
- Comedy 6 Hours 55 Mins
- Action 7 Hours 30 Mins
Let’s take a look at the time it took for participants to fall asleep, depending on what type of film or TV they were watching.
Average sleep time per genre
- Romance 36 minutes
- Horror 44 minutes
- Reality 15 minutes
- Comedy 22 minutes
- Action 39 minutes
We at Sleep Junkie don’t recommend that anyone use electronic devices for more than two hours before going to sleep. This is due to the harmful effects of blue light. Blue light can be used in the morning or throughout the day. It stimulates the brain, makes people feel alert and raises body temperature. Blue light will not have any effect on rest if it is seen before sleep. To relax, you can try deep breathing or reading a book before going to bed. You can unwind your mind and body by engaging in any activity that is soothing, but doesn’t require a screen.
Dorothy Chambers, Sleep Junkie’s founder, stated,
People have struggled to fall asleep this year more than ever before. You can find a lot of information online on the best methods to fall asleep. However, many people still turn to technology and audio aids for help when they are not the best.
This study was done to understand how these things affect our sleep. We hope the research will provide some insight and help people make better decisions about their sleep.
