Academic Performance

Focus problems from social media?

According to a recent survey, U.S. teens spend 4.8 hours per day using seven popular social media apps, with YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram accounting for 87% of their social media time, and specifically, 37% of teens say they spend 5 or more hours a day, 14% spend 4 to less than 5 hours a day, 26% spend 2 to less than 4 hours a day, and 23% spend less than 2 hours a day on these three apps (1,2,3).

Too much screen time is also not good for mental health.  For example, Zhai and colleague’s review of 24 studies shows that too much screen time (> 6 hours per day) can impact depression (1).  Similarly, a review of 31 studies concluded that such sedentary behavior may also impact anxiety (2).

But how about media use and inattention or focus symptoms?

While an estimated 10% of the US population has adhd as of 2022(4) many more young adults report problems with attention, focus.

A recent study looked at the impact of social media use on attention.

What was the study?

3,051 students in 10th grade were followed for 24 months, and monitored for amount and frequency of social media use and adhd symptoms, both via self report. (5)

What was the result?

Over a 2-year follow-up, high-frequency use of digital media  (>2x/day), with social media as one of the most common activities, was associated

with a modest yet statistically significant increased odds of developing ADHD   symptoms (OR 1.10; 95% CI, 1.05-1.15) (5).

What are some caveats?

  • While a number of other studies have shown a correlation (6), this is one of the first studies to show increase in adhd symptoms, but further research is needed.
  • Intuitively, if you have numerous app notifications, use programs for brief periods you are likely conditioning your brain to pay attention for short snippets, which could make it awkward to pay attention for sustained periods of time.

Here is a previous post link with strategies for healthy ways of using media, and technology, including mindful technology use.

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA, OSU CCS Psychiatrist

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/04/teen-social-use-mental-health#:~:text=4.8%20hours,of%20their%20social%20media%20time.
  2. Rothwell, J. (October 27, 2023). Parenting mitigates social media-linked mental health issues. Gallup. Survey conducted between June 26–July 17, 2023, with responses by 6,643 parents living with children between ages 3 and 19, and 1,591 teens living with those parents. https://news.gallup.com/poll/513248/parenting-mitigates-social-media-linked-mental-health-issues.aspx.
  3. Rothwell, J. (2023). How parenting and self-control mediate the link between social media use and mental health. https://ifstudies.org/ifs-admin/resources/briefs/ifs-gallup-parentingsocialmediascreentime-october2023-1.pdf.
  4. Li Y, Yan X, Li Q, et al. Prevalence and Trends in Diagnosed ADHD Among US Children and Adolescents, 2017-2022. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(10):e2336872. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36872
  5. 82. Ra, C. K., Cho, J., Stone, M. D., De La Cerda, J., Goldenson, N. I., Moroney, E., Tung, I., Lee, S. S., & Leventhal, A. M. (2018). Association of Digital Media Use With Subsequent Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Adolescents. JAMA, 320(3), 255–263. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.8931
  6. Dekkers, T. J., & van Hoorn, J. (2022). Understanding Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents with Attention
    Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Narrative Review and Clinical Recommendations. Brain Sciences, 12(12), 1625. https://
    doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12121625

 

Caffeine and academic performance

Oftentimes as students prepare for exams, they might find themselves not sleeping as much and using caffeine on exam day.

One study looked at whether this would help or not.

What was the study? (1)

  • Stepan and colleagues (1), had 276 participants do a  place keeping task (UNRAVEL) and a vigilant attention task (the Psychomotor Vigilance Task [PVT].
  • They were then randomly assigned to either stay awake overnight in the laboratory or sleep at home. (1)
  • In the morning, participants who slept returned to the lab, and all participants consumed a capsule that contained either 200 mg of caffeine or placebo (1).
  • After the caffeine absorption period, they had participants repeat those tasks.

What were the results? (1)

  • Investigators (1) found that caffeine helped both groups maintain attention; similar to other studies (2).
  • Caffeine DID NOT reduce place keeping errors in either group (1).

What does this mean? (1)

According to this study (1), if you are sleep deprived, caffeine may help you stay awake but may NOT help with academic performance.

What are some caveats?

  • Caffeine can also worsen anxiety for some people, which might not help with academic performance.
  • This is a small study and further study is needed to verify the results.
  • The benefit size may not be enough for everyone.
  • Individual results may vary.
  • 200mg caffeine may be too much for some people.
  • Getting adequate sleep may be a better strategy

What are some helpful strategies for sleep?

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests the following ways to improve sleep (3):

  • Keep a consistent sleep schedule.
  • Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
  • Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
  • Other strategies:

What are some helpful resources for sleep?

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA

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Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. Stepan ME, Altmann EM, Fenn KM. Caffeine selectively mitigates cognitive deficits caused by sleep deprivation. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2021 Sep;47(9):1371-1382. doi: 10.1037/xlm0001023. Epub 2021 May 20. PMID: 34014758.
  2. Killgore WDS, Kamimori GH. Multiple caffeine doses maintain vigilance, attention, complex motor sequence expression, and manual dexterity during 77 hours of total sleep deprivation. Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms. 2020 May 31;9:100051. doi: 10.1016/j.nbscr.2020.100051. PMID: 33364521; PMCID: PMC7752712.
  3. http://www.sleepeducation.org/essentials-in-sleep/healthy-sleep-habits
  4. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students

Strategies for finals and academic stress

As finals approach, many students find themselves increasingly stressed while trying to do their best academically.  In that situation, some students may find them selves doing things that inadvertently worsen their stress and academic performance.  For example, many students increase caffeine intake during finals but this might actually worsen attention (1,3).    Other students who do not have adhd might use study drugs, but this can also worsen attention (2,3).

So how can students take steps to finish strong academically?

Consider brief activity as breaks to improve focus: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2022/04/22/brief-activity-vs-relaxation-breaks-for-energy/

Consider these other strategies to improve focus: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2021/03/30/strategies-to-improve-attention/

Finally, take a look at this link to identify 5 things to increase, and 5 things to decrease for a successful end of semester: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2021/03/30/strategies-to-improve-attention/

 

By R Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA

If you would like to be notified of a new post (usually once per month), please enter your email above.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2015/03/10/do-energy-drinks-help-or-hurt-your-attention/
  2. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2023/06/30/smart-drugs-might-not-always-help-with-focus/
  3. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students  https://a.co/d/iXhbkAj