As you are lying in bed before going to sleep, it feels good to chat with friends or watch videos on the phone or tablet. We have all probably done it, as it brings us joy in the evenings. But have you ever considered that doing so might make it difficult to fall asleep?
Smart devices have the largest impact on our biological clock. The way it works is that the more light we see, the more awake and alert we are. Our eyes and therefore the biological clock are especially affected by the blue light emitted by screens, which are adjustable on smart devices, but even so, the light has a significant effect on the eyes.
Has the summer sun shining in your eyes ever woken you up at five in the morning? Smart devices keeping you awake work on the same principle, and it is therefore not wise to use them right before you go to bed because they will delay sleep. This, in turn, means that we can accidentally postpone our sleep with our actions.
You should especially pay attention to this if you think you are not a morning person and have a hard time getting out of bed. Maybe the issue is that using smart devices in the evenings is putting off your sleep and as a result you are not sleeping enough. Additionally, the topics of various posts and videos will keep churning around in your head for a while after you close your eyes. This may make you less sleepy as well.
Sleep apps – necessary part of modern life or merely a trend?
Lately, it has become popular to download sleep apps on your phone or tablet that you open right before going to sleep and which watch over you as you sleep. In the morning, they give you a thorough overview of whether your sleep was shallow or deep, how many times you turned in bed and how many hours you slept. But is it right and necessary to measure and evaluate sleep this way? It is more beneficial to go to sleep earlier and let your body rest properly without any applications.
Put your smart device away!
To have a good night’s sleep, it is not recommended to keep your phone under your pillow or on your bedside table. If you need to keep your phone near you because, for example, you are using your phone’s alarm clock function, place your phone face down, so its light would not disturb you (for example, if someone is messaging you at night). Experts suggest not looking at the time at night, as it may cause anxiety, such as thinking that you will only get two more hours of sleep.
Written by the youth information portal Teeviit on the basis of an article by the Nordic Sleep Centre www.heauni.ee, which was published in the magazine Mari.
The article was published in 2021.
