Smartphones are an essential part of our daily life. We are able to leverage technology through smartphones to perform various trivial as well as important tasks. However, does using smartphones have a negative impact on our sleep? Let us find out.
We are living in a world surrounded by electronic gadgets such as laptops, tablets, smartwatches & smartphones. Out of these gadgets, smartphones are permanently glued to our hands for the majority of people. We use it for various purposes- be it sending across a quick email to an office colleague/boss, keeping yourself updated on updated news & current affairs, listening to music or even counting our walking/jogging steps. Using smartphones, we are able to find a restaurant for a quick bite, chat with friends, shop or book anything right from movie tickets, online seats, lifestyle products or weekly grocery. Although smartphones add convenience to our life, it also carries a real threat since they sabotage our sleep & negatively impact our sleep patterns.
So the question arises, how smartphones are sabotaging our sleep? It is the colour “ blue”. Trouble with smartphones is the blue light that the screen emits. Blue light is the shortest wavelength & simulates daylight. This artificial light falls on our retina & signals a part of the brain- suprachiasmatic nucleus(SCN) that stimulates Pineal gland in our brain. Due to blue light, our pineal gland in our brain does not secrete melatonin, the sleep hormone- that puts up to sleep & helps us stay asleep. This blue light is beneficial during the day since it helps us stay active, boosts our mood, attention & reaction time. It is harmful at night since it puts our circadian rhythm out of proportion. As per study by Harvard Medical School, blue light prevents secretion of melatonin & is possibly linked to diabetes, some cancers & heart diseases.
This clearly explains why light at night( even the artificial night) impacts our sleep.
In a recent study conducted, 46% of people said that they checked their smartphones as first activity in the morning & 83% told that they access smartphones before going to bed. Some people admitted to waking up in the middle of night to check their phone. This essentially means that not only our brain waves are being affected by blue light but also our sleep patterns are being disturbed by constant need to be connected.
When it comes to physical exercise, a lot of us are unable to train without our smartphones or a smartwatch that is linked to smartphone or device.
To summarize, we need to break our smartphone habit before it becomes an addiction. One of the best ways to do it is to create good sleep hygiene patterns. If you cannot keep your device in a separate room while you sleep, the best strategy is to switch off the device 1-2 hours before you go to sleep. You can also place your smartphone across the room. Do not leave it for charging right by your bed. Some studies show that if you read for 6 minutes before turning out the light, your quality of sleep would improve & it is less likely that you will wake up at the middle of night.
Lack of sleep & poor sleep quality increases the likelihood of stress & anxiety. Infact stress itself reduces the duration of sleep. In order to have a healthy lifestyle, we need to develop healthy habits which include sleeping for at least 7 to 8 hours & keeping yourself away from blue light 2 hours before you hit the bed.
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