Cell phone use before bedtime: a risk factor for excessive sleepiness in adolescents from military schools

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and associated factors in adolescents attending military schools. Methods 466 high school students (15-17 years old) of both sexes (230 men) participated. Participants were interviewed about sociodemographic characteristics and sleep duration (week and weekend), adopting values < 8 hours of sleep as insufficient sleep time. EDS was assessed with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale; where students with scores ≥ 10 had EDS. Results The overall prevalence of EDS was 34.1%. The mean for sleep hours was 6.9 h (±1,85) on weekdays and 8.5 h (±1.96) on weekends. It was identified that 60% of the adolescents presented short weekly sleep duration (p = 0.05). In the final regression model, higher EDS risks were observed in those subjects that had a short sleep duration (OR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.04-2.31) and those that used the cell phone before bedtime (OR: 4.30; 95% CI: 2.00-9.23). Conclusion EDS was strongly associated with cell phone use before bedtime. Other associated factors are insufficient sleep and studying full-time. Educational, administrative and health measures are needed to improve sleep in adolescents.