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I have always been impressed by one of the opening scenes in the movie "The Matrix". Neo is slumped over on his desk, asleep, while endless images and words scroll by on his computer. As someone fascinated by the development of computer technology and its social impact, to me this scene seems to capture the image of the young computer hacker or cracker, the cyberpunk, hard at the work of breaking into sensitive computer networks and finally succumbing to sleep. As a professional interested in the treatment of sleep disorders, I wondered what kind of sleep Neo could be getting in that uncomfortable position with the lights on in his dingy, cluttered, apartment. As it turns out, over the past few years I have known quite a number of people - friends, colleagues, and patients, who live a lot like the fictional character Neo does - or at least as he did before he freed his mind and left the matrix.
The Internet continues to be of increasing importance in our daily lives. We use it for work, entertainment, to stay informed, and to stay in touch with family and friends. Your work may be carried out almost entirely on the Internet, or you may have to apply for unemployment benefits over the Internet when you suddenly find yourself out of a job after the last lay-off. Whatever your situation in life, it's likely that accessing the Internet is part of your daily routine, or perhaps even a large part of your daily routine. In fact, staying up late on-line seems to be one of the fastest growing threats to good sleep. I have addressed some of the effects of this in earlier blogs.
In the 1990s clinicians and researchers such as Kimberly Young and David Greenfield began to notice a new affliction based in the on-line world. It seemed that many people were reacting toward their computers and the Internet in the same way drug addicts do toward their drug of choice. I am not one to easily believe in new syndromes and it took a long time for me to believe that this might possibly be a real, new behavioral compulsion. Pro and con arguments can be made about including behavioral dependencies in the official list of psychological disorders. The pros have to do with attaining greater recognition of a potentially significant problem and also providing an impetus to advance research on how to treat it. The cons have to do with inappropriately expanding the idea of addiction or dependency and the potential for creating a pathological name for what is simply a form of negative behavior.
"Internet addiction", or compulsive internet use, has many implications but I focus on its impact on sleep. I have encountered many people who are staying up most or all of the night playing on-line games. The progressive lack of sleep can diminish their ability to function at work or in school, can lead to dangerous behavior such as drowsy driving, can contribute to weight gain, and can deepen feelings of depression. And this applies to individuals other than gamers. Some may be compulsively watching Internet pornography, again resulting in loss of sleep and increasing dysfunction at work. Still others are giving up sleep to spend hours on-line interacting with friends or acquaintances on Facebook. Sometimes people will use caffeine pills or other stimulants to stay awake late into the night. Functioning and health suffer when sleep is sacrificed night after night in compulsive web surfing. Whether or not these behaviors amount to "addiction" I cannot definitively say, but certainly compulsive Internet use can become so significant that sleep is lost, performance of daily activities is impaired, and relationships are damaged. So if you or a loved one is stuck in a pattern of compulsive Internet use, what can you do? My next blog will include some suggestions to help you sleep better and reclaim your life!
