LiveWire Network Peer Answers Peer Support Teen Forums Tech Forums College Forums 345 users online 268381 members 356 active today Advertise Here Sign In
TeenCollegeTechPhotos | Quizzes | LiveSecret | Memberlist | Dictionary | FAQ
You have 1 new message.
Emergency Help
Until you sign up you can't do much. Yes, it's free.

Sign Up Now
Membername:
Password:
Already have an account?
► Invite Friends
► Active Members
► Groups
► Contests
Moderators
1 online / 24 MPM
Speak Like Yoda Day
Fresh Topics
  LiveWire / My Forums / Resources / Emergency Help Center / Viewing Message

Viewing Message
From: (Not Displayed) Received: 10:51 pm on June 18, 2012 Return to Inbox
Subject: I seriously think I'm addicted to my computer.
I'm 14. My day usually consists of waking up anywhere from 10 am- 12 pm, I usually get dressed, get a shower, etc, then go outside and skateboard. I tend to not skate very much by myself, but when I'm with friends I skate for several (3-7) hours. I usually come home between 6-8 pm, and either hang out with my family which I don't do a whole lot, but a decent amount, or get on the computer for a while. Recently, I haven't been tired and I've been going to sleep between 1-4 am, (only 4 once, though, and that was after drinking a few cans of pop at a friend's). I'm rarely ever tired until early in the morning. I always feel lazy and terrible when I wake up late.

I tried going to sleep at about 11:30 but I'm still up, I'm just not tired. My dad says the computer stimulates my brain too much and says I should be off the computer several hours before I go to bed, but also thinks I should be outside every second of daylight (which I don't really mind, I like being outside, but sometimes I like staying inside...)
Whenever I'm not on my computer, sometimes I think about getting on it, like "Oh, it will be fun, I'll play.. *whatever*, but then when I get on the computer, it's boring and I want to get off, but when I get off, I want back on. I'm really worried about my sleep, I don't like waking up late in the afternoon, (anything after noon seems late for me).
I always feel like I need to be doing something.. most of it being online, such as, recently, browsing several sites for a product I want.
Add Reply Return to Inbox

Replies
Hey there!
To me, I think you're fine, you don't seem to be addicted to the computer. However your sleep schedule does sound a bit off, and the computer might be a cause. A lot of people can't get to sleep if they use a computer or watch TV or engage in some sort of activity like that before bed, personally that's not the case for me but I know it is for a lot of people. So maybe you should stop using the computer after dinner or something, and see if that helps.

What I found helped me most when I was having sleeping troubles was a routine. If you do the same thing before bed each night, your brain will begin to think "oh I'm doing the things I usually do before I sleep, it must be time to sleep now!" and it'll be a lot easier for you to sleep. Your routine could be as simple as brushing your teeth, washing your face and getting into bed. Also, it would help if you went to bed and woke up at around the same time everyday. On school days I make sure I'm in bed at around 10:30 and I wake up at 6:45, and I have no trouble sleeping any more, as opposed to when I went to bed at random times, usually between 11 and 2. On weekends I do allow myself to sleep in a bit more and stay up a little later, but I follow the same pre-bed routine.

If you drink a lot of caffeine during the day, it might prevent you from sleeping. People say that you shouldn't have caffeine after a certain point in the day (I think it's like 3 or 5pm). It's also best to avoid intensive exercise before bed, as it will get your heart pumping and prevent you from sleeping.

But seriously, don't stress about your computer usage. It sounds like I use my computer a whole lot more than you do, and I've experienced no consequences because of my usage, so I don't think you should be worried! If you need anything else or if I've made something unclear, please feel free to message me :)
~Elle

Posted at 3:11 am on June 23, 2012

To be honest, your computer use doesn't sound all that unhealthy to me. It sounds like you are mainly using it out of a mixture of interest in various games/websites, and boredom when there's not much else to do. Which is what a lot of people do, and lots of us find the internet fun, hence why we've been members of this website for such a long time!

However if it's resulting in you not getting enough sleep, or having to lie in late in the mornings and feel groggy on waking, then you need to find a way of disciplining yourself better when it comes to switching it off at night. Remind yourself of how crap you feel in the morning when you've not slept normally, and tell yourself to switch it off. And if that won't work, as a family member to insist that you turn it off at a certain time each night.

I also wonder why you get up so late every day - don't you have classes, or a job, to go to? Perhaps that's what you need to really be examining - find something requires you to get up at a normal time in the mornings, 7.30 or 8.00, and hence will mean you NEED to go to bed earlier as a result.

Posted at 1:27 pm on June 19, 2012

Add Reply

© 2000-2013 LiveWire Peer Support Network