Longitudinal study of Toba/Qom communities reveals delay and shortening of sleep in real time.

Longitudinal evidence shows that Toba/Qom communities experienced nearly 1 hour delay in sleep timing and a 35-minute reduction in sleep duration over a decade.

• Why it matters: Understanding how modern technologies influence sleep is crucial, as sleep disruptions are linked to health issues, yet direct, long-term evidence remains limited.
• What they did: Researchers analyzed over 12,000 actigraph-recorded sleep events from 156 participants across rural and semi-urban Toba/Qom communities from 2012 to 2024, using linear mixed-effects models.
• The result: Findings suggest that sleep delays and shortening cannot be fully explained by electricity, internet, or smartphone use alone, implying broader modernization and cultural shifts also play a role.