The difficult but crucial task of knowledge translation: The case of pre-sleep technology use. Reply to Reichenberger et al. and the National Sleep Foundation's screen use recommendations

It could be said that sleep scientists began educating the public at large about behaviours to foster good sleep in the 1970s, when Richard ‘Dick’ Bootzin published his seminal paper testing stimulus control therapy (SCT) . At the time, SCT recommendations only included two behaviours in the bedroom – one arguably stimulating (sexual activity); one not (sleep). Dick collaborated with our research team in the 2000s and shifted his thinking of SCT, to include reading in the bedroom, just so long as it was not in bed (personal communication, 2007). Alongside SCT was a collection of educational tips known as ‘sleep hygiene’ with some major components including the avoidance of stimulation before bed, including the minimisation of caffeine, nicotine and exercise. Over time, these recommendations have evolved to include a ubiquitous 21st Century recommendation – to avoid using technology in the hour before bed. Why? The inferred mechanism is not dissimilar to other sleep hygiene recommendations - to avoid stimulation before bed. The notion being that avoidance of stimulating technologies in the pre-sleep period is conducive to good sleep health by relaxing the body and mind – a logical message easily conveyed to the public.