Association between smartphone use, sleep deprivation, and self-rated health outcomes: A retrospective observational survey in rural Japan

Background

Smartphone use significantly changes the lives of individuals. This study aimed to stratify sleep time by age and sex, examine the association between smartphone overuse and sleep deprivation, and measure their impact on self-rated health (SRH) outcomes. Focusing on communication and overuse, we also considered the association of active and passive smartphone use, as well as browsing, with sleep.

Methods

We conducted a questionnaire survey among residents of three towns in rural Japan to collect data on the sleeping hours, smartphone ownership rate, and smartphone usage time of residents, stratified according to sex and age. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the association among good SRH outcomes, sleep deprivation, and smartphone overuse.

Results

Among 2565 respondents to our questionnaire who possessed a smartphone (ownership 69.7%), 1172 men and 1393 women were analyzed. The mean age and sleep hours were 59.1 years and 6.7 h. Sleep time was shorter in middle-aged residents, and sex differences disappeared at younger ages. A total of 1295 participants experienced sleep deprivation. The smartphone overuse group comprised 627 participants. Good SRH outcomes were negatively associated with smartphone overuse and sleep deprivation. The group that used their smartphones for more than 1 h slept approximately 0.12–0.13 h less than the other group. Active/passive use and screen time were associated with good SRH outcomes.

Conclusion

Avoiding sleep deprivation and smartphone overuse are activities that are useful for good SRH outcomes. Smartphone use with a clear purpose may not be antagonistic to good SRH outcomes.