British researchers at Deloitte have found that smartphone usage may be interrupting the sleep schedules of young adults. With an overwhelming amount of people checking their devices in the middle of the night, smartphone addiction is more prevalent than ever. 

While you may think your smartphone doesn’t affect how much sleep you’re getting—think again. According to BBC News, a recent Deloitte study reveals that over 50% of individuals aged 18-24 wake up amidst the dead of night to check their phones. The Deloitte survey, which sampled over 4,000 people in the UK, reported that users spent this time checking texts, social media notifications, work emails, and news updates.

Couldn’t all of these things wait until morning?

With the rapid growth of smartphone addiction, coupled with the speedy advancement of the digital world, these numbers are actually pretty believable. Despite the 14% of those aged 65 and older who check their phones in the middle of the night, young adults are the ones who are truly emerged in the technological era. Smartphones have become an extension of millennials’ lives, and thus arises the disregard for a full night’s rest in the pursuit of staying in the now.

What’s even more alarming than the lack of sleep among millennials is the damaging affects of late-night screen exposure. In fact, the bright blue light emitted from your phone actually causes a “suppression of melatonin production” which may lead to a myriad of health problems such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Read more

Setting aside all of this newly found info, 10% of users still check their devices as soon as they wake up in the morning, and over half of people check their phones within 15 minutes of awaking. So, if you’re going to be looking at your phone right when you wake up anyways, is disrupting your sleep really worth it?