We’re in strange times. We connect more with gadgets than people and our society is becoming attention-deficit, believe experts. In times like these, researchers have identified a new problem called sleep texting, where people send incoherent messages while asleep to their friends and family, completely unaware of doing it.
Researcher Frank Thorne was quoted saying, “People are doing so much during a normal day that it makes them feel like they’re on call even at night.” Experts also feel that while it’s still in nascent stages, the number of cases suffering from sleep texting is on the rise. “I have come across some cases where these people are unable to switch off from the world. That’s the most common problem they all face. And they are quite aware of it. People are so interconnected with each other today, that it has become their identity,” says clinical psychologist Dr Rajat Mitra.
Seconds psychologist and counsellor Dr Geetanjali Kumar, as she worries that the problem is sure to grow in times to come. “People don’t like to confess it and these problems come to us only when their family members notice them. Checking your phone constantly can be one of the first few signs. We’re an attention-deficit society already, and I’m afraid where we’re heading as the need to connect with the world at all times is growing,” she says.
However, the younger generation, clueless about what they thought was just a cellphone addiction is turning out to be close to a disease, refuses to take notice.
“So what if I check my phone many times? That doesn’t really mean I’m unwell. In fact, all of us friends have a habit of constantly checking if there’s an update on Blackberry or not. It shouldn’t be taken too seriously. But having said that, I do have friends who make earnest efforts to switch off their phones before sleeping to disconnect,” says Rhea Kapoor (name changed on request), a college student.
There’s help available if one needs. Adds Dr Mitra, “You have to make a conscious decision of disconnection from the world. You have to tell yourself, ‘I’m going to structure my time’. That effort from one’s end is too important. You can’t dismiss it by saying, it can’t happen to me. And it’s as bad as any other psychological problem.”