As we have been discussing Wendell Berry and technology in class, I have seen many articles lately on technology and how it affects our sleep patterns and well as our mental state. It got me thinking that maybe Berry was right about renouncing computers and technology.
A study done by the University of Rhode Island in 2013 analyzed college students sleep patterns and the habits they had. They studied patterns such as the average amount of sleep students get, how many hours they use a laptop/phone during the night hours, and the number of times they wake up at night to answer their phones. The study also has each student take certain tests such as the PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), AMAS (Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale), and the BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory-II) to give them quantitative data as well.
The results of this test were shocking. Of the 232 students that participated, 29% recorded having about 7.03 hours of sleep, 37% recorded having less than 6.5 hours of sleep. Only 34% recorded having 8 hours of sleep. Analyzing the PSQI results, the average score for students who did not get 8 hours of sleep was an 8.84 (a score over 5 shows significant sleep disturbances) and students who got 8 hours of sleep had an average score of 3.75. Looking at these statistics alone, it shows that the amount of sleep you get does have an effect on how well you sleep, but with those students who get about 8 hours of sleep, what is causing their PSQI to be so high?
The answer is technology. Of those 232 students, 89% reported using electronic devices right before going to sleep. It has been proven through multiple tests across the United States that the blue light emitted from your phone/laptop does interfere with your sleeping patterns. While many people are aware of this, what many do not know is that it also affects your mental state as well. Of the 66% of student who did not get enough sleep, their AMAS score was a 15.36 (the average is an 8) which was 4-5 points higher than the 34% of students who got enough sleep. The result of the BDI-II test was very similar. This goes to show how technology not only affects our sleep but our mental health as well.
Going back to Wendell Berry, was is right in renouncing technology? Technology has been integrated into our society that we have become dependent on it, but is it really worth it? Do we prioritize technology over not being able to get the amount of sleep our body needs and to have more mental health issues? I encourage you to think about your own sleep patterns and technology use and evaluate whether you believe it is more important to scroll through Instagram at 2 in the morning or to get the sleep that your body needs to function.
Link to the study: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/cyber.2012.0157