Not content with preventing you from sleeping, social networks could follow you even in your dreams. This is the observation made by a team of researchers who reveal that the more time users spend on social media, the more likely they are to have nightmares, synonymous with stress and poorer quality sleep.
We know that social networks can impact health physicalphysical and mental. Several scientific studies have already looked into the subject, suggesting that these new media could be the cause of sleep disorders, weight problems, and mental health disorders – stress and anxiety in particular. But social networks can also play an indirect role on the health of users, particularly young ones.
Teen depression is influenced by the social network used and personality
This is what has recently been demonstrated by researchers whose work has established a link between the use of digital media, including social networkssocial networks and platforms streamingstreaming, and smoking in adolescence. New research goes even further and now shows that social networks could promote… nightmares.
Social networks influence dreams
“ As social media becomes more and more intertwined in our lives, its impact extends beyond waking hours and can influence our dreams », Underlines Reza Sabazan, of Flinders University, in Australia, in a press release. The researcher, who developed a scale intended to assess the way in which social networks could promote nightmares (the Social Media Nightmare-Related Scale)), indicates that this type of media can, in the case of excessive use, influence the realm of dreams. A surprising observation that he managed to demonstrate in collaboration with other international researchers.
“ Our study introduces the concept of social media nightmares, which are defined as nightmares involving social media-related themes, such as cyberbullying, online hatred, or excessive use of social media. », Continues the main author of this work published in BMC Psychology.
Nightmares that affect mental health
Thanks to this measurement scale, the researchers conclude that nightmares linked to social media remain rare – good news – but that they are nevertheless associated, when they occur, with indicators of mental health, namely good -being emotional and quality of sleep. And this, in a negative way. This link between social networks and bad dreams, although weak, once again shows the potential impact of such media on the mental health of the most engaged users.
“Adopt responsible and thoughtful use”
An observation that could become more pronounced with future technologies. “ With rapid advancements in technology and media, including artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual realityvirtual realityas well as the increasing dependence on these technologies and their deeper integration, it is expected that dreams featuring technological and media content will become more frequent », Indicates Reza Shabahang.
To counter such effects, the authors of this research simply recommend, as many experts and health professionals do, to ease up on social networks, and “ to adopt responsible and thoughtful use “. Future work could this time look at the impact of the dangers perceived byartificial intelligenceartificial intelligence about nightmares.
