Internet addiction and sleep problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Zainab Alimoradi; Chung-Ying Lin; Anders Broström; Pia H Bülow; Zahra Bajalan; Mark D Griffiths; Maurice M Ohayon; Amir H Pakpour

doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2019.06.004

Internet addiction and sleep problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sleep Med Rev. 2019 Oct:47:51-61. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2019.06.004. Epub 2019 Jul 4.

Authors

Zainab Alimoradi¹, Chung-Ying Lin², Anders Broström³, Pia H Bülow⁴, Zahra Bajalan⁵, Mark D Griffiths⁶, Maurice M Ohayon⁷, Amir H Pakpour⁸

Affiliations

¹ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran. Electronic address: Zainabalimoradi@yahoo.com.
² Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong. Electronic address: cylin36933@gmail.com.
³ Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden; Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden. Electronic address: anders.brostrom@ju.se.
⁴ Department of Social Work, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden. Electronic address: pia.bulow@ju.se.
⁵ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran. Electronic address: z.bajalan64@gmail.com.
⁶ International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK. Electronic address: mark.griffiths@ntu.ac.uk.
⁷ Stanford Sleep Epidemiology Research Center (SSERC), School of Medicine, Stanford University, CA, USA. Electronic address: mohayon@stanford.edu.
⁸ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran; Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden. Electronic address: Pakpour_Amir@yahoo.com.

PMID: 31336284
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2019.06.004

Abstract

The pathological use of the internet - conceptualized as 'internet addiction' - might be crucial in initiating and increasing sleep disturbances in the community. While inconsistent evidence is reported regarding the association of internet addiction and sleep disturbances, the severity of this association remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to increase our understanding of the relationship between internet addiction and sleep disturbances. A systematic review was conducted through Scopus, PubMed Central, ProQuest, ISI Web of Knowledge, and EMBASE using keywords related to internet addiction and sleep problems. Observational studies (cohort, case-control or cross-sectional studies) focusing on association between internet addiction and sleep disturbances including sleep problems and sleep duration were selected. A meta-analysis using random-effect model was conducted to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for experiencing sleep problems and standardized mean differences (SMDs) for sleep duration. Eligible studies (N = 23) included 35,684 participants. The overall pooled OR of having sleep problems if addicted to the internet was 2.20 (95% CI: 1.77-2.74). Additionally, the overall pooled SMDs for sleep duration for the IA group compared to normal internet users was -0.24 (95% CI: -0.38, -0.10). Results of the meta-analysis revealed a significant OR for sleep problems and a significant reduced sleep duration among individuals addicted to the internet.

Keywords: Internet addiction; Meta-analysis; Problematic internet use; Sleep problems; Systematic review.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Behavior, Addictive / complications*
Behavior, Addictive / psychology
Humans
Internet*
Sleep Wake Disorders / etiology*
Sleep Wake Disorders / psychology