Social media use is at an all-time high. There are many effects of overusing social media including sleep disturbances. Getting quality sleep can be crucial to your overall health and well-being. When you are not getting adequate sleep, you can be at risk for worsening mental health issues. You are not alone if you notice changes in your health from social media use. Help and support for the mental health effects of social media use are available.
Social Media Use and Sleep Issues
Getting adequate sleep is important to your overall health. Sleep disturbances can have a wide range of negative effects on your mind and body. A journal article, “The Association between Social Media Use and Sleep Disturbance among Young Adults,” published in Preventive Medicine, discussed social media and sleep disturbances. The following was said about the effects of poor sleep:
Sleep disturbance and insufficient sleep duration are associated with daytime sleepiness and a range of poor health outcomes. For example, insufficient sleep negatively affects cognitive performance, mood, immune function, cardiovascular risk, weight, and metabolism.
This journal article discussed a study assessing young adults who use social media and concluded that social media use can be linked to sleep disturbances which can have the above quoted negative health effects.
Healthy Sleep Habits
There are various sleep hygiene or healthy sleep habits you can practice to improve your quality of sleep. Some people sleep with their phones in their beds or close to them when sleeping. One tip to consider could be to make sure your phone is on silent or turned off when you go to bed. This ensures that you are not distracted or waking up from notifications on your phone. Another tip you may want to consider for sleep hygiene could include setting a sleep schedule and following it, even on the weekends.
An additional sleep tip could include getting out of bed if you are struggling to fall asleep. Time spent in bed tossing and turning can be frustrating. Getting up and doing something like reading a book could help to tire you. You can then return to bed when you feel less restless. Lastly, consider not spending time in bed using social media. This could keep your brain stimulated, making it more difficult to fall asleep.
Signs Social Media Use Is Causing Other Problems
There are a variety of signs that social media use could be causing negative effects on your mental health. A journal article, “The Relationship between Social Media and the Increase in Mental Health Problems,” published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, discussed the link between social media and mental health and said the following:
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health issues, affecting 264 million and 280 million people worldwide, respectively [2,3]. In addition, an estimated 269 million people were struggling with drug and substance abuse by the end of 2018 [4]. These numbers are likely to continue to rise due to a variety of factors. One factor that has been identified as contributing to the increase in mental health challenges is the use of technologies, including social media.
This quote confirms that not only are you not alone if you are facing mental health struggles, but also that social media could be one significant contributing factor. The findings of the studies discussed in the above-mentioned journal article found that when using social media for validation, those individuals were at a greater risk for anxiety and depression. If you notice you are using social media and are paying close attention to your following count or the number of “likes” you receive on posts, this may be a sign social media is causing other issues to your mental health.
Seeking Help for Your Mental Health
At Avalon Malibu, we understand the effects of social media can be detrimental to your mental health, and we want to help. Seeking help for your mental health is a brave step to make. We want to assure you that if our mental health facility is a good fit for you and your specific mental health treatment needs, we will provide care and support to help you heal. Our mental health facility, The Grand House, is mindfulness-based and can treat a variety of mental health conditions.
As previously mentioned, sleep issues caused by social media use tend to also lead to anxiety and depression. Our facility is equipped to help you learn new coping skills to help you begin healing from anxiety, depression, and most other mental health conditions caused by social media use. We are a dual-diagnosis treatment center, which means if you are facing co-occurring mental health disorders, Avalon Malibu can help you begin your healing journey from multiple diagnoses.
Getting quality sleep can be a crucial component of your overall health and well-being. We understand that social media use is at an all-time high; however, evidence shows that social media use can have several negative effects on getting the quality sleep you need. This can also lead to mental health issues. If you are facing mental health challenges due to sleep issues caused by social media use, you are not alone. Millions of people are affected by mental health issues and want to help you. Healing is possible; please call Avalon Malibu at (844) 857-5992 for more information about sleep disturbances and how we can help you heal your mental health today.
