– I’m glad the godfather’s week is almost over, says Emilie Bringedal with a laugh. Bringedal is in his second year at NTNU in Ålesund and is a sponsor for new students. The start of studies means late evenings and early mornings. – Last night I went to bed at four and was at school at 08.15, says the 21-year-old. More than 30 per cent slept poorly A round of questions around the table at NTNU in Ålesund shows that most people slept between four and seven hours per night last week. Fadderveka takes part of the blame, but several say they generally struggle to fall asleep and get up in the morning. Tia Marlen Patumsit, Camilla Hansen Bjørkkjær, Emilie Bringedal, Mille Hagen Høyeraal, Thea Hunvik Kvalheims and Amalie Hatlen got through the commencement week at NTNU in Ålesund despite little sleep. Photo: Linda Bakken / news Student associations across the country have conducted the Student Health and Well-Being Survey (SHOT), in which 60,000 Norwegian students participated. In 2010, 23 percent said they struggled with sleep. In 2022, the figure will be 33, i.e. 10 per cent higher. The statement is supported by a nationwide Ungdata survey from 2022, which shows that 32 per cent of pupils in secondary school are very much or quite a lot plagued by poor sleep. – Fear of missing something – Use of mobile phones and tablets in bed is a large part of the problem, believes Randi Vartdal Knoff, councilor in Ålesund municipality and local coordinator of the Youth Data survey. – The young people say that having the mobile phone by the bed is disturbing. One must be on and catch up with what is happening all the time. Many are afraid of missing out, says Knoff. Many young people sleep with their mobile phones close to them because they are afraid of missing something, says Randi Vartdal Knoff, coordinator of the Youth Data survey in Ålesund municipality. Photo: Linda Bakken / news She says “Fear of missing out” is a factor mentioned by many of the young people. – This means that they fall asleep late and like to check the phone during the night, says Knoff. – Put your mobile phone down before going to bed Specialist in neuropsychology Tomas Brandal Myklebust advises everyone to avoid using mobile phones, tablets and PCs before bedtime. – In general, you should calm down your brain activity in the hours before you go to bed. When brain activity is high, it becomes difficult to fall asleep and you get restless sleep, says Myklebust. Neuropsychologist Tomas Brandal Myklebust says enough sleep can be equated with enough food. Research shows that little sleep is closely related to both performance level and mental health problems. Photo: Arne Flatin / news For a long time it was thought that the blue light from the screen prevents the production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. There is a myth in the brightness of mobile phones. – The problem is that we are activated when we should actually log off and go to bed. For example, social media will often activate us emotionally, says Myklebust. He believes that sleep is a fundamental function that you have to take care of in the same way as food, activity and breathing. Four factors that affect sleep: Circadian rhythm – make sure to expose the brain to light as early in the day as possible and preferably turn down the lights a couple of hours before you go to bed. Do not expose yourself to light from screens late at night. Activation and calm – be active during the day and calm down in the evening. Activity does not mean heavy strength training, but keeping the body active during the period you are awake. For example, it’s a good idea to get up from the PC and go for a walk every now and then. Calm down in the evening – both physically and mentally. Scrolling on a mobile phone and working on a PC will prolong the time it takes you to fall asleep. Sleep pressure – the longer we are awake, the more tired we become. If you slept for two hours in the afternoon, you will have less sleep pressure in the evening and it will be more difficult to fall asleep. One should be aware that caffeine removes our sleep pressure and makes us not feel as tired as we actually are, i.e. what our waking hours indicate. Caffeine stays in the body for a long time. If you struggle with sleep, a concrete tip is to cut caffeinated drinks such as coffee, energy drinks, tea and soft drinks after 2pm. Go to bed when you want – sleep when you’re tired. If you want to work for better sleep, you should go to bed when you are tired. Don’t fight your way through fatigue in the evening because you think it’s too early to go to bed. Then you reset your brain and it becomes more difficult to fall asleep. Listen for the sleep cues and go to bed when you are tired, then you can rather shift the time a little day by day. Source: Tomas Brandal Myklebust, specialist in neuropsychology Looking forward to more structure After the start-up weeks at NTNU with lots of fun, Emilie Bringedal is looking forward to regular routines, even if she generally sleeps a little. – I spend two hours falling asleep, and then I get maybe six or seven hours of sleep, she says. She admits that mobile phone use in bed can be part of the sleeping problem, also for her. Emilie Bringedal (21) has started the school year with late nights and early mornings. She herself says that it cannot go on like this. Photo: Linda Bakken / news Less mobile for more sleep – Young people can manage with little sleep for a period, but they should make sure to get a few longer nights in between, says Myklebust. He has five sleep-inducing advice for young people: Start the day at a fixed time and with as much light as possible Get up from the computer and give your body activity during the day Avoid caffeinated drinks such as energy drinks, coffee, tea and cola after 2 p.m. you when you’re tired – don’t force yourself to overcome the tiredness problem End the day with peace and less light. Avoid mobile phones, tablets and mental work in the last two hours before you go to sleep Emilie Bringedal and Ida Hovland Hessen believe that a power nap of a few minutes works wonders if the night’s sleep is short. Neuropsychologist Tomas Brandal Myklebust says power naps are good as long as you stay under 20 minutes – and leave your mobile phone alone. Photo: Linda Bakken / news
ttn-69
Several young people struggle with sleep: – The mobile phone is disruptive
