Sleep is the most essential part of healthy living, and that’s no surprise. Lack of sleep impacts productivity and the ability to function correctly throughout the day. It can also lead to physical and mental diseases.
I have experienced sleep deprivation many times. But I never knew what the primary reason was for it. I only knew that the outside temperature significantly impacted my sleep.
I can fall asleep easily in winter. But in summer, it’s a struggle.
Since the cold weather is approaching, I have regularly been getting sound sleep. I only woke up in the morning when my alarm went off. I was having good days because of my appropriate sleeping schedule.
However, I’ve noticed difficulty getting a good night’s sleep for a few days. Since it’s not the temperature anymore, I wondered what could have caused it again.
I’m a coffee lover. And it’s known that drinking coffee late in the afternoon (or evening) impacts sleep. But I am very cautious about my coffee consumption lately. So, it’s also not the reason.
Further, I have been regularly taking walks and ensuring I get a good amount of daily exercise.
What could be the reason?
The answer became apparent when I identified a significant activity that was doing the damage.
It was none other than using my phone before bed.
Screens impact sleep. Blue light stimulates our brain and produces melatonin, making it hard to sleep. That’s precisely what happened to me.
I remember I had stopped using my phone and instead listened to music or read a book before bed, but I constantly looked at reels on social media for a few days.
We’ve all been guilty of that.
Phone use not only impacted my night sleep but also gave me a weird feeling in my eyes when I woke up in the morning. This is how we usually feel when we are tired.
A few nights of continuous phone usage impacted my productivity and made me tired throughout the day.
Multiple studies and research have also proven that using phones (or other devices) can profoundly impact sleep.
For instance, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that adolescents who used screens within an hour of bedtime had significantly shorter sleep durations and poorer sleep quality compared to those who didn’t.
Also, research from Harvard Medical School revealed that exposure to blue light at night reduced melatonin levels twice as much as exposure to green light, delaying sleep by about twice as long.
How do I plan to overcome this issue?
The obvious answer is not to use my phone before bed (at least an hour before sleep).
I’m replacing that time with reading, listening to music (or podcasts), and writing in my journal.
If I must use my phone (for some strange reason), I’ll use the “night mode” or “reading mode” that cuts off blue light. I also plan to use a blue light glass that protects my eyes at night.
Now that I realize why my sleep wasn’t very sound a few months earlier, I believe it was also because I constantly used my phone before bed.
If you also use your phone before bed, stop it immediately. It might not have impacted you now, but it will sooner or later.
