Sleep texting: a systematic review

Background: Nowadays, more and more young people are affected by a worrying new syndrome called sleep-texting. This term refers to the use of a cell phone to send text messages while asleep. This almost automatic behavior of responding to "text messages" during the night interrupts sleep and, in the long term, causes considerable damage to health, especially of adolescents. In this work, through a systematic qualitative analysis, we wanted to probe a precise scientific definition of the phenomenon. Method: To this end, 18 articles were selected through a search on the Scopus database and reviewed with the analysis of Rodgers' evolutionary concept (Rodgers, 2000 - 2018) integrating it with the integrative review methodology which involves the inclusion of both theoretical and empirical sources or qualitative and quantitative data ((Whittemore and Knafl, 2005). Results: The attributes of the concept within the various studies and various research are: sleep disorders; physical symptoms; mental health and school results. Conclusion: The studies and research analyzed all focused on the effects, but do not entirely explain the phenomenon, leaving a series of open questions. The hope is that future research can clarify whether sleep texting is a parasomnia or simply an incorrect behavior, such as the excessive use of new technologies.