Latest Issue of the MindBrainEd Think Tank + (ISSN 2434-1002) 1 MindBrained Bulletin Think Tank Sleep Jan 2018 | 页面 7

Think Tank: Sleep
Deborah Broadby

Teachers Tackle Smartphone Addiction and Sleep
Related Issues
My smartphone is everything to me. It is my newspaper,
my social network, my alarm clock and the keeper of all the
things important to me. As a teacher, I could not function in
today's world without the help of my smartphone and those
rare times when I misplace it, I feel an immediate sense of
panic until I have it back in my hands. The relationship I
have with my smartphone is a special one, but it is not
unique and is actually similar to the vast majority of people
in today's modern world. The global use of smartphones is
on the rise, today more than ever, teachers and myself included, can play an important role in
developing strategies promoting the healthy use of our smartphones to minimise the health risks and
learning abilities of our students.
Today, we live in a world of hyper-connectivity where our smartphones allow us instant access to
unlimited amounts of information. The problems are, however, the negative effects they are having on
our personal health and wellbeing. Most astounding is the impact on our sleep. Smartphone addiction
has been linked to higher levels of depression, anxiety, dysfunction disorders, stress and poor sleep
quality. This list does not stop there, as a lack of sleep has been further linked to an increase in
accidents, poor mental performance and detrimental health issues including, heart attack, heart failure,
stroke, diabetes , etc. The comforting feeling of having this technology so close becomes problematic
and addictive when temptation and mental anxiety are induced while reacting to every piece of in
checking in on social media platforms, getting caught up on the latest news alerts, the pictures of your
friends latest vacation or to play