College students’ loneliness outweighs screen time in causing insomnia

Being lonely is a bigger hurdle to a good night's sleep for college students than too much time at a computer or other electronic screen, a new study by Oregon State University suggests.

The research led by scientists in the OSU College of Liberal Arts is important because both insomnia and loneliness are serious public health concerns and are at epidemic levels among young adults in higher education, the researchers note.

Jessee Dietch, John Sy and collaborators at Harvard Medical School and Chaminade University studied more than 1,000 undergraduate students and found that when an individual's total daily screen time reached the 8- to 10-plus-hour range, there was an increased likelihood of insomnia.

They also found 35% of the subjects had high levels of loneliness and that lonely students were more likely to have trouble sleeping than less-lonely students irrespective of screen time. That 35% reported clinically significant symptoms of insomnia at almost twice the rate of the other 65%.

For the students in our study, screen time was definitely associated with insomnia symptoms. But loneliness was a better predictor of insomnia."

John Sy, graduate student in OSU's School of Psychological Science

Loneliness is a pervasive condition that significantly hinders wellness, the researchers say, causing suffering in a range of forms, including impaired sleep because of its association with greater sensitivity to stress and to rumination over stressful events.

The U.S. surgeon general's office points out that even before COVID-19, about half of American adults reported measurable levels of loneliness, and that lacking connection is on par with smoking for raising the risk of premature death. In addition, people who often feel lonely are more than twice as likely to develop depression than those who rarely or never feel lonely.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-quarter of college students experience insomnia and thus are deprived of the quality restorative sleep that helps underpin cognitive function, mood regulation, metabolism and many other aspects of well-being.

"Insomnia is detrimental to the health of college students," said Dietch, assistant professor of psychological science and a licensed clinical psychologist who is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine. "It has been consistently associated with increased stress, anxiety and mood disturbance, as well as decreased academic performance."

Dietch added that a global review of college students found that 18.5% had insomnia compared to 7.4% of non-students in the same age group. Students involved in intimate relationships – close friendships as well as romantic partnerships – are less likely to report being lonely than those who are not, she said.

"There is a prevailing notion that screen time increases the likelihood of insomnia symptoms, and we did see that," Sy said. "We recommend that college students use electronic devices for a maximum of 8 to 10 hours a day to reduce their insomnia risk. And we also encourage university administrators and counselors to prioritize loneliness before screen time when addressing insomnia."

Findings of the study, which involved students at Oregon State University and Chaminade University, were published in the Journal of American College Health.