The impact of cell phone use after light out on sleep quality, headache, tiredness, and distractibility among high school students: Cross sectional study

To assess the impact of cell phone use after light out on sleep quality, headache, tiredness, and distractibility among high school students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted among high school students aged between 15 and 18 years old in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among students using a Google Form survey. The questionnaire includes socio-demographic characteristics, symptoms that affected personal or school life quality, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality. Of the 297 high school students, 71.8 % were females, and 54.2 % were 17-18 years old. The most common symptoms influencing personal or school quality of life are tiredness, insomnia, and energy loss. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 73.4 %. The older age group and female gender were more likely to complain of poor sleep quality. A multivariate regression model identified headache and insomnia as the significant independent risk factors for poor sleep quality. This study determined that using cell phones after light out for messaging and calling was associated with various forms of sleep disorders. In addition, high school students with poor sleep quality tended to experience symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, loss of energy, distractibility, and tiredness. More longitudinal studies are needed to establish the effect of cell phone use after light out on sleep quality and other related symptoms that affect personal or school life among high school students.