Relationship Between Screen Time and Sleep Quality Among Young Adults

Abstract

Digital screen use has become a major part of daily life among young adults, while poor sleep quality is increasingly recognized as an important health concern. Previous studies have linked prolonged screen exposure and bedtime device use with shorter sleep duration, delayed sleep, and poorer sleep quality. However, the combined influence of total daily screen time and pre-bedtime screen exposure remains less clearly understood. This study examined the relationship between screen exposure and sleep quality among 312 young adults aged 18-25 years using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Mean PSQI scores increased progressively from 3.94 among participants using screens for less than 4 hours per day to 6.81 among those reporting more than 8 hours of daily exposure. Daily screen time showed a moderate positive correlation with PSQI score (r = 0.54, p < 0.001) and a negative correlation with sleep duration (r = −0.41, p < 0.001). Pre-bedtime screen exposure also remained independently associated with poorer sleep after adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors. Overall, the findings indicate that both the duration and timing of screen exposure are important when evaluating sleep health in young adults.