A Sleep America poll finds more than half of Americans fail to get adequate sleep almost every night, and scientists say electronic distractions are the culprit — getting you all riled up before it’s time to hit the sheets.

Says an Australian doctor, in a Eurekalert story:

“My research compares how technologies that are ‘passively received’ such as TVs and music versus those with ‘interactive’ properties like video games, cell phones and the Internet may affect the brain differently. The hypothesis is that the latter devices are more alerting and disrupt the sleep-onset process. If you feel that these activities are alerting or causing you anxiety, try doing something more ‘passive’ to help you wind down before bed.”

Adds a doctor from Stony Brook University Medical Center:

“Over the last 50 years, we’ve seen how television viewing has grown to be a near constant before bed, and now we are seeing new information technologies such as laptops, cell phones, video games and music devices rapidly gaining the same status. The higher use of these potentially more sleep-disruptive technologies among younger generations may have serious consequences for physical health, cognitive development and other measures of well-being.”

Do you notice your device use making it tougher for you to sleep?

Sleepy connected Americans [Eurekalert via CrunchGear]

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