The Sleep–Stress Connection: What Your Digital Habits Reveal

By Collins Odhiambo Owino — DatalytIQs Academy
Data Source: Kaggle (Digital Wellbeing Dataset, 2025)

Introduction

In an age where phones glow longer than sunsets, our minds rarely switch off.
Digital engagement has blurred the boundary between rest and routine — influencing how well we sleep and how stressed we feel.

At DatalytIQs Academy, we examined 500 respondents from a Kaggle Digital Wellbeing dataset (2025) to understand how sleep quality and stress levels intertwine in today’s always-connected world.

Sleep and Stress — Averages with Standard Deviation

🖼️ Figure 4: Sleep & Stress Averages with SD
(Image Source: 4_sleep_stress_bar_sd.png)

What the Data Tells Us

The results paint a relatable picture of modern life:

• Most respondents report average sleep quality, suggesting that few enjoy fully restorative rest.

• Stress levels slightly exceed sleep ratings, hinting at mild digital tension — likely from notifications, multitasking, or long screen hours.

• The near-equal standard deviations (≈1.5) show that sleep and stress vary similarly across individuals, meaning lifestyle habits drive much of the difference.

Further analysis revealed that individuals with 7+ hours of sleep and less than 5 hours of screen time scored higher on happiness and focus metrics.

The Digital Wellbeing Insight

Sleep and stress are two sides of the same behavioral coin.
Our analytics show:

• More time online → shorter, poorer-quality sleep.

• Poor sleep → higher self-reported stress.

• Sustained high stress → reduced exercise frequency and happiness scores.

This reinforces the feedback loop seen in digital wellbeing research — where over-stimulation and fatigue perpetuate one another.

Methodology

• Dataset: Digital Wellbeing & Social Media Usage — Kaggle (2025)

• Sample Size: 500 respondents

• Metrics Used: Sleep_Quality(1-10), Stress_Level(1-10)

• Tools: Python (pandas, matplotlib)

• Visualization: Bar chart with error bars (mean ± standard deviation)

• Author: Collins Odhiambo Owino

• Institution: DatalytIQs Academy — Mathematics, Economics & Finance Online School

About DatalytIQs Academy

DatalytIQs Academy empowers learners to apply analytical reasoning to real-world challenges — from economics and finance to digital wellbeing and behavioral data.
Our projects show how quantitative methods illuminate the human side of numbers.

Visit: www.datalytiqs.academy
Email: info@datalytiqs.academy

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge:

• Kaggle, for providing the open dataset used in this analysis.

• DatalytIQs Academy, for fostering interdisciplinary research and analytics.

• Collins Odhiambo Owino, for conducting and authoring the visualization and insights.

Conclusion

The data suggests that digital well-being starts with rest.
Monitoring screen time, practicing tech-free wind-downs, and prioritizing consistent sleep can significantly reduce stress and boost overall life satisfaction.

In our next post:
“The Happiness Equation — How Exercise, Sleep, and Screen Time Interact in Modern Life.”