Have you ever wondered if answering late night text messages, gaming at night, or watching a show could affect the quality of that nights sleep? Well, it can! Research shows that using some type of device before bed is directly linked to our health. Meaning that using a device before bed can make it harder to fall asleep or even decrease the quality of that nights sleep. After reading this post, I hope you will be able to recognize if this problem relates to you, and how you can prevent it.
So, what exactly is the problem behind devices? One problem is the blue light. Blue light is known for helping us stay awake throughout the day. Actually, some factories are lit with blue lights to try and keep workers awake during late shifts. In addition, the blue light suppresses melatonin. Melatonin is a key hormone that controls sleep cycles. So, the lack of melatonin makes it harder to fall asleep.
The second problem being that when we are on our devices, we are usually doing something that intrigues us. This is another factor that keeps us awake. It causes your brain to start thinking it needs to stay awake.
Unfortunately, this problem impacts teens the most. This is because we happen to use our phones the most because we always want to be informed and up to date. But, what most people don’t realize is that teens actually need more sleep than adults. Teens also go through a lot of brain changes which could effect their sleep, and device use just adds to it. Dr. Chris Seton says, “The screens not only take away sleep because they take up time, but they make kids more wakeful”. In fact, between the years 2010 to 2016 there has been a major increase in the amount of complaints about deficient sleep for 18-24 year olds. Meaning, this problem is just getting worse.
Now you may be thinking; what can I do to prevent this from happening to me?? A lot actually! One thing you can do is dim the light on your screen. Another thing is to try and put your phone away 30 minutes before going to bed so your brain has time to relax. Some people actually found a way to “red shift” their phone between the hours 9pm- 7am. This means that your iPhone doesn’t use a blue light between those hours.
I never knew how much our devices affected our sleep. In fact, I’ve been struggling to fall asleep lately and I think my phone could be the problem. I will definitely be changing my habits in the future. I hope this post can help do the same!
Johnson, Cathy. “How Technology Use Messes with Your Sleep and What You Can Do about It.” ABC Health News, 20 Oct. 2016, www.abc.net.au/news/health/2016-10-21/how-technology-use-messes-with-your-sleep/7950336.
Ware, Arista. “How Technology Impacts Sleep Quality.” Sleep.Org, Sleep.Org, 13 Nov. 2014, sleep.org/articles/ways-technology-affects-sleep/.
“Trend Hunter.” Trend Hunter, www.trendhunter.com/trends/technology-affects-sleep.