{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T04:24:02Z","timestamp":1790310242480,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769558400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Aim: This study compared the effects of standard evening smartphone restriction with an adapted intervention combining progressive restriction, psychoeducational guidance, and pre-sleep relaxation on sleep, psychological state, cognitive performance, and physical performance in physically active physical education students with moderate-to-high nomophobia. Methods: Thirty participants (age 21.9 \u00b1 1.2 years; intermediate chronotype) completed a randomized controlled trial consisting of a 7-day baseline period, a 14-day intervention phase, and post-intervention assessments. The standard group (n = 15) implemented a 2-h pre-bedtime smartphone restriction combined with general sleep hygiene guidance. The adapted group (n = 15) followed a progressive restriction protocol (30\u219260\u2192120 min) supplemented with psychoeducational guidance targeting smartphone-related anxiety and a nightly slow-paced breathing routine. Objective sleep parameters were quantified using wrist-worn actigraphy. Subjective sleep quality, pre-sleep anxiety, and stress were assessed using visual analog scales. Cognitive performance (psychomotor vigilance task and choice reaction time) and physical performance (vertical jumps and agility) were evaluated at both morning and afternoon time points. Results: The adapted intervention produced significantly greater improvements in sleep efficiency (time \u00d7 group: F(1,28) = 6.84, p = 0.014, \u03b7p2 = 0.20; d = 0.78) and sleep onset latency (F(1,28) = 5.97, p = 0.021, \u03b7p2 = 0.18; d = 0.72) compared with standard restriction. Significant reductions were also observed in pre-sleep anxiety (F(1,28) = 7.12, p = 0.012, \u03b7p2 = 0.20; d = 0.81) and stress (F(1,28) = 6.45, p = 0.017, \u03b7p2 = 0.19; d = 0.74). Cognitive performance showed significant time \u00d7 group \u00d7 time-of-day interactions, with improvements during afternoon assessments in psychomotor vigilance (F(1,28) = 7.48, p = 0.011; d = 0.83) and choice reaction time (F(1,28) = 6.89, p = 0.014; d = 0.79) exclusively in the adapted group. Physical performance outcomes remained stable across interventions. Conclusions: Progressive smartphone restriction combined with psychoeducational strategies and pre-sleep relaxation yields clinically meaningful improvements in sleep continuity, psychological arousal, and afternoon cognitive performance, exceeding the benefits achieved through behavioral restriction alone.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16020212","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T08:48:04Z","timestamp":1769590084000},"page":"212","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Progressive Smartphone Restriction Combined with Psychoeducational Guidance and Pre-Sleep Autonomic Regulation Improves Sleep Efficiency and Time-of-Day Cognitive Performance in Physically Active Students with Nomophobia: A Randomized Controlled Trial"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Wiem Ben","family":"Alaya","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Activity, Sport and Health Research Unit (UR18JS01), National Observatory of Sports, Tunis 1003, Tunisia"},{"name":"High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of El Kef, University of Jendouba, El Kef 7100, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wissem","family":"Dhahbi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Unit: Sport Sciences, Health and Movement, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of El Kef, University of Jendouba, El Kef 7100, Tunisia"},{"name":"Training Department, Qatar Police Academy, Police College, Doha 7157, Qatar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4740-2563","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohamed Abdelkader","family":"Souissi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Activity, Sport and Health Research Unit (UR18JS01), National Observatory of Sports, Tunis 1003, Tunisia"},{"name":"High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, Sfax University, Sfax 3000, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6328-4915","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nidhal","family":"Jebabli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Unit: Sport Sciences, Health and Movement, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of El Kef, University of Jendouba, El Kef 7100, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2214-4667","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Halil \u0130brahim","family":"Ceylan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sports Sciences, Atat\u00fcrk University, Erzurum 25240, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nagihan Bur\u00e7ak","family":"Ceylan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate Education Institute, Bayburt University, Bayburt 69000, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4615-6687","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raul Ioan","family":"Muntean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University \u201c1 Decembrie 1918\u201d of Alba Iulia, 510009 Alba Iulia, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1227-8221","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nizar","family":"Souissi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Activity, Sport and Health Research Unit (UR18JS01), National Observatory of Sports, Tunis 1003, Tunisia"},{"name":"High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, KsarSaid, University of Manouba, Mannouba 2010, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.5114\/biolsport.2025.146787","article-title":"Impact of evening blue light exposure timing on sleep, motor, and cognitive performance in young athletes with intermediate chronotype","volume":"42","author":"Souissi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Biol. 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