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More than half of young people suffer from sleep deprivation

Didong Zhao
August 4th, 2022


This article is more than 2 years old.

Majority blame the presence of screens in their bedrooms

Electronic screens are a major cause of sleep deprivation (photo: maxpixel.net)

According to the results of a survey conducted by the Statens Institut for Folkesundhed concerning the sleeping habits of 11,000 young people aged between 16 and 24, half of them suffer from sleep deprivation.

The main cause of the problem is electronic screens, such as mobile phones, tablets, TVs and computers.

“70 percent of young men and 80 percent of young women said that electronics were the main cause of their lack of sleep, and the lockdowns during the pandemic could have played a role, such as homeschooling and home office,” said Anne Illemann Christensen, the head of research at the Statens Institut for Folkesundhed, told TV2.

Get the screens out of the bedroom!
The negative effects of sleep deprivation on our health and well-being should be obvious, added Poul Jennum, a professor and sleep researcher at Rigshospitalet.

Too little sleep can lead to a lack of energy, inability to concentrate and memory loss, he underscored to TV2.

“Our brains need one to two hours of relaxation before we go to sleep. Turn off the computer and don’t argue with your family or partner so we can tell our brain that it’s time to sleep,” he said.

Christensen concurred. “Get the screens out of the bedroom,” she urged.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”