PATNA: Constant use of the internet causes sleep disorders and, resultantly, irritability at workplace and home, say medical experts."Internet addiction is cutting our sleeping hours. Sleeping properly and adequately is essential for the body to function properly. There has been in recent years a distinct rise in the number of youths in the age group of 15-25 years complaining of sleeplessness," IMA vice-president Dr Ajay Kumar says, adding it has a causal link with obsessive fondness for net surfing.Rajiv Kumar Singh of Boring Road recalls his generation spent the childhood without the internet while the TV would be switched off quite early. "We would sleep latest by 11pm, but my son, a Class IX student, goes to bed with his cellphone and fiddles with it till late in night, only to wake up in the morning feeling groggy," says the 42-year-old, who runs a school.Private firm exec Indu Bhushan Singh points to another aspect of the story. "Kids and teens do it as a habit or hobby, but there are adults who do not have an option but to remain online 24X7 to stay updated as posts from workplace superiors and colleagues keep landing on WhatsApp etc even late in night," the Rajiv Nagar resident in his late 30s says and rues the dog-eat-dog world we live in, makes it mandatory for everyone to make his/her presence felt in the virtual world in order to survive and thrive.Nalanda Medical College & Hospital's psychiatrist Dr Santosh Kumar has a word of caution to offer to the internet addicts -- the willing lot or the unwilling ones: "Better spend more time in the real world... Spending time on the desktop, laptop or handheld adversely affects one's cognitive skills," he says and advises parents to allow limited use of cellphones by their children.As for adults, the psychiatrist says, they should fix a deadline after which calls and messages should be avoided unless they are urgent ones. "Spending quality time with family and friends in the real world is a must for healthy living," Dr Kumar says.

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