ISLAMABAD – Teenagers who excessively use their cell phones are more prone to disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress and fatigue, according to a research.

The study, authored by Gaby Badre, MD, PhD, of Sahlgren’s Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden, focused on 21 healthy subjects, between 14-20 years of age,with regular working/studying hours and without sleep problems, Health news reported.
The subjects were broken up into two groups: a control group (three men, seven women) and the experimental group (three men, eight women).
The control group made less than five calls or sent five text messages a day, while the experimental group made more than 15 calls and sent 15 text messages a day.
The subjects were then asked questions regarding their lifestyle and sleep habits.
According to the results, when compared to subjects with restricted use of cell phones, young people with excessive use of cell phones (both talking and text messaging) have increased restlessness with more careless lifestyles, more consumption of stimulating beverages, difficulty in falling asleep and disrupted sleep, and more susceptibility to stress and fatigue. Youngsters feel a group pressure to remain inter-connected and reachable round the clock. Children start to use mobile phones at an early stage of their life.
There seem to be a connection between intensive use of cell phones and health compromising behaviour such as smoking, snuffing and use of alcohol,” said Dr. Badre.Dr. Badre stresses the importance of good sleep for young people.
“It is adamant/necessary to increase the awareness among youngsters of the negative effects of excessive mobile phone use on their sleep-wake patterns, with serious health risks as well as attention and cognitive problems,” said Dr. Badre.
It is recommended that adolescents get nine hours of nightly sleep.
Kids may more likely to smoke, drink
Middle and high school students who bully their classmates are more likely to use cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana than other students, according to a new study.
Ohio State University researchers examined bullying and substance use among more than 74,000 students in all public, private and Catholic middle and high schools in Franklin County, Ohio, which includes Columbus.
About 30 percent of middle school students and 23 percent of high school students were deemed to be bullies, bullying victims or bully-victims (those who are both perpetrators and victims).
Substance use was defined as smoking, drinking or using marijuana at least once a month. Fewer than 5 percent of middle school students reported substance use. Among high school students, 32 percent drank alcohol, 14 percent smoked cigarettes and 16 percent used marijuana.
There was a link between bullying involvement and substance use, the researchers found. For example, marijuana use was reported by only 1.6 percent of middle school students not involved in bullying, compared with 11.4 percent of bullies, 6.1 percent of bully-victims and 2.4 percent of victims.
Marijuana use was reported by 13.3 percent of high school students not involved in bullying, compared with 31.7 percent of bullies, 29.2 percent of bully-victims, and 16.6 percent of victims.
Similar results were found for alcohol and cigarette use, according to the study in the April issue of Addictive Behaviours. “Our findings suggest that one deviant behaviour may be related to another,” lead author Kisha Radliff, an assistant professor of school psychology, said in a university news release.
“For example, youth who bully others might be more likely to also try substance use. The reverse could also be true in that youth who use substances might be more likely to bully others.”