Smartphone Usage at Bedtime and Its Effects on Sleep Quality
Do you find yourself using your smart phone at bedtime? Is this affecting the quality of your sleep? By using your mobile phone late at night, you can decrease the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep. However, there are a couple of issues that may arise from this activity. First, your brain will start to associate your bed with being in front of the mobile phones or tablets. This association causes some to be unable to fall asleep when they want to, and as a result, become frustrated. Second, bright light emitted from these types of devices can screw with your natural circadian rhythm. A good rule of thumb is to shut down all electronic devices at least 30 minutes prior to sleeping.
Maintaining an optimum sleep environment is essential to health and wellness. The majority of people, besides turning off their phones, also place their phones close to the bedside. This action may be worse. A limited light area or too much light at night (even from a cell phone screen) can affect a person’s ability to fall asleep. You shouldn’t use your cell phone or other type of device beside your bed or when in bed until you feel sleepy.
Smartphones give people a lot of advantages in many aspects of life. However, it is important to find ways to use Smartphones safely and effectively. Using your phone after the lights have gone off or putting the phone near your pillow can affect your sleep quality. Smartphones can be harmful to people’s sleep during the night. Continuous notifications could cause poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and decreased efficiency in the morning. When you put your Smartphone close to your head before sleeping, there is a high possibility that you will increase the chances of suffering from these symptoms.
Smartphones are much more than a device for entertainment. They are used in a variety of ways to stay in touch with family and friends, take pictures, navigate, learn new things, and much more. The potential uses of smartphones have been growing rapidly as technology improves. However, there is one thing that people fail to realize when they are usually using their smartphone. That is how it will affect their sleep if they get too involved with it before going to bed. So, You should avoid using your phone within 30 minutes of bedtime because looking at the screen sends signals to your brain, creating a reaction that tells it to stop producing melatonin, which will keep you awake.
Smartphone at bedtime can also negatively impact your life by:
Increasing loneliness and depression – Most people who feel alone during the night turn to their Smartphones as a way to make them feel better, but in reality all they see is what other’s have been up to. And since most social media targets younger users and teens in particular, the average age of users can be as low as 14 years old. This is a big problem because most teenagers don’t have a good grasp on how their actions can affect others or themselves. It’s not necessarily about what you post; this may already lead to negative feelings, but further messing around on your phone before bedtime could exacerbate these feelings exponentially!
Fuelling anxiety – Bedtime Smartphone use can lead to an unsatisfying or unfulfilling night of sleep. Having a Smartphone in the bedroom is linked to poor quality of sleep. From contributing to anxiety, to causing restless nights, it’s important to keep phones out of your bedroom.
Disturbing your sleep – Smartphone use in the evening can disrupt your sleep, which can impact mental health and reduce cognitive and learning skills.
Increasing stress – It’s hard to get a good night’s sleep when you’re stressing about work. Smartphones bring work into bed at bedtime, which can lead to poor quality sleep, daytime sleepiness, and stress.
Conclusion:
The use of smart phones is now a common phenomenon. These days tablets, smartphones, and other devices have become a part of life for children and adults alike, but the overuse of these devices may have impacts on sleep patterns. You should be aware of how much time you are spending on your device every day. Whether self-imposed or from external pressures such as family members or friends, limiting the use of your device to a specific time frame each day that is not close to bedtime can improve the quality of your sleep.
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