Texting Increases Teen Drowsy Driving Accident Risks

Teenagers, and especially college students, may already be at a much higher risk of fatigue, sleepiness and drowsiness, because of an overall lower quantity of sleep. That sleep-deprived state may worsen considerably, because of excessive texting.

According to a new study, college students may have a much harder time falling asleep, if they are texting. In fact, according to the researchers, college students who want to sleep better must consider avoiding texting just before they hit the pillow.

The research found that college students who were experiencing stress, or texting more often, were more likely to have trouble falling asleep. Not only were these people struggling with insomnia, they were also taking a much longer time to fall asleep, and also sleeping less overall, compared to persons who did not text a lot before falling asleep. These students were also likely to spend less time sleeping while they were in bed, and feel lethargic and fatigued throughout the next day increasing their risk of a car accident.

College students who were already stressed seemed to be at an especially high risk of sleep-related troubles due to texting. The problem is that many college students have the habit of texting on their cell phones well into the late hours of the night, even after they are in bed. In other words, these people do not prioritize going to sleep as soon as they hit the bed. They spend many minutes texting on their cell phones, before they finally doze off. That affects the quality of their sleep, and ensures that they get much less sleep than they require. Often, students feel pressured to answer incoming texts, no matter how sleepy they are.

In order to improve the quality of your sleep, and reduce the risk of drowsy driving, switch off your cell phones and text alerts as soon as you hit the pillow.