Timing of sedentary behaviour and access to sedentary activities in the bedroom and their association with sleep quality and duration in children and youth: a systematic review

Background: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the relationship between the timing of sedentary behaviours and access to sedentary activities in the bedroom with sleep duration and quality in children and youth. A secondary purpose was to examine whether these relationships differ when comparing screen-based and non-screen-based sedentary activities. Methods: We searched four databases for peer-reviewed studies published between 1 January 2010 and 19 January 2021. Risk of bias assessment for each study and certainty of evidence were assessed using the GRADE framework. Results: We identified 44 eligible papers reporting data from 42 separate datasets and including 239 267 participants. Evening participation in screen-based sedentary behaviours and access to screen-based devices in the bedroom were associated with reduced sleep duration and quality. Daytime screen use was also associated with reduced sleep duration, although this was examined in relatively few studies. Whether performed during the day or night, non-screen-based sedentary behaviours were not consistently associated with sleep duration or quality. The quality of evidence was rated as low to very low for all outcomes. Conclusion: In order to maximize sleep duration and quality, children and youth should be encouraged to minimize screen time in the evening and remove screens from bedrooms.

Automated summary

This study systematically reviewed the relationship between the timing of sedentary behaviors and access to sedentary activities in the bedroom with sleep duration and quality in children and youth. The findings showed that evening participation in screen-based sedentary behaviors and access to screen-based devices in the bedroom were associated with reduced sleep duration and quality. Daytime screen use was also linked to reduced sleep duration.