The case in summary: Sven Bisgaard Sundet, known from news’s podcast Heia Fotball, and author Mike Stilson have lived without a smartphone and internet since September last year. Sundet first noticed that he became tired and slept more, but now finds that he sleeps better and has better concentration. Brain researchers at NTNU will measure physical changes in Sundet and Stilson to see if there are differences in the brain after they logged off. Sundet plans to continue living without a smartphone, but admits it can be challenging. Stilson wants a smartphone available turned down in a drawer. Brain researcher Ole Petter Hjelle believes that Sundet and Stilson’s experiences are interesting and emphasizes that research shows that the more time we spend on screens, the less we sleep. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It has been a fantastic and different six months. And it’s certainly not tempting to drop out. That’s what the mandalite Sven Bisgaard Sundet says, who is known, among other things, from the Heia Fotball podcast here on news. Last autumn he embarked on an exciting and ambitious project together with author Mike Stilson. The logout rules from the start are simple: No screen use. Since September, they have been completely logged off the internet. They are now halfway through the experiment, which will last a year. Pretty much everything that has to do with a screen is peeled away from existence. Could you manage without a smartphone for a whole year? Answer further down in the article. – Sleeps better Both agree that a life without a screen works just fine. – It would probably have been easier for other people to deal with it if it went very badly, because then it would have been proof that you must have the smartphone. But there really is no shortage, says Mike Stilson. The first thing Sundet noticed after he put his mobile away in September last year was that he became very tired. – I was used to sleeping 6-7 hours every night. But something happened to my brain, so I could suddenly sleep up to 11 hours. Stilson and Sundet are almost halfway into the year without a screen. Photo: Vegard T. Blakstad Now the circadian rhythm is back again, but he thinks the change has been healthy. He simply sleeps better than before. There are differences in other areas as well. Both Sundet and Stilson have noticed that their concentration has improved. – The concentration has changed completely. Now I can focus on what I want. I have more time and use it better, says Sundet. Sven Bisgaard Sundet has had a taste of life without a screen. A wonderful and different six months, he says. Photo: Chris Veløy He says that the feeling of being bored was stronger when he was logged on. Now he appreciates having a good time. – People get bored after ten seconds, especially children. But now I feel that I can use my boredom for something good. Guinea pigs The project of the two will also be used in research. There are not many others who have logged off completely. Brain researchers at NTNU will measure bodily changes during the year. Electrode caps were used before they started, and the same will happen along the way. Sven Bisgaard Sundet with a hood that measures brain waves. He is involved in a research project at NTNU. Photo: Vegard T. Blakstad/news – We tested Sven and Mike before they logged off. The same will happen again soon, after six months without a smartphone. So says Audrey van der Meer, neuroscientist and professor of neuropsychology at NTNU. She says the testing involves, among other things, that the two have to write words and draw by hand. – We are looking for differences in the brains of the two after they logged off. We will probably see that the creative parts of the brain will show increased activity without the smartphone. Brain researcher Audrey van der Meer tests two screenless people to look for the changes in their brains. Photo: Privat Gets “phantom pains” The experiences of living more or less without screen use will also become a separate TV series on news in the autumn. Sven Bisgaard Sundet is certain that he will continue this life, even when the experiment is over. But he admits that it can also be challenging. – Especially when you have children, it’s difficult without Facebook. Many events and invitations, also organized by the school, are posted there. He says that his wife takes care of the organization here. She has Facebook. A life without online banking and a bus app makes it difficult at times. And he hasn’t completely forgotten his smartphone. – Sometimes I get “phantom pains”. That I think I feel the phone vibrate. So I haven’t got it completely out of my system, he chuckles. Mike Stilson, on the other hand, doesn’t think he can put his smartphone away completely. – I will continue with a dumb phone for most of what I do, but have the smartphone if needed. But it will be turned off in a drawer most of the time. Choosing screen before sleep Brain researcher Ole Petter Hjelle has written a book about screen addiction and the way out of it. He thinks the experiences from Sundet’s life without a screen are interesting. – Research tells us that the more we are on screens, the less we sleep. An important reason why we sleep too little is that we are watching screens instead of sleeping, says Hjelle. He is not surprised that Sundet and Stilson find that they have much more time for other things when he is logged off the phone. – I think one of the most important things we can do to regain our attention is to be less on the screen. Could you manage without a mobile phone for a whole year? Hello! 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