We’ve all been there—staring at our phone screens until the late hours of the night and waking up with tired, puffy eyes. While it may feel like a harmless habit, using digital devices near bedtime can severely impact your sleep quality. From blue light exposure to mental stimulation, here’s what you need to know about how technology affects your sleep.
Blue Light Exposure
Blue light is a type of visible light that emits from computer monitors, phones, tablets, and other electronic devices. This type of light has been linked to suppressing melatonin production in the body. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate our internal body clocks; when it’s suppressed by blue light, it can cause problems with falling asleep at night.
It's important to limit your exposure to blue light in the evenings since it may be throwing off your natural circadian rhythm and keeping you awake longer than necessary. If you’re having trouble sleeping at night, try reducing your device usage before bed or investing in glasses that block out blue light spectrums from computer screens.
Mental Stimulation
Have you ever tried winding down for bed only to find yourself scrolling through social media or watching funny cat videos? Unfortunately, engaging with digital content near bedtime can make it difficult for us to relax and get the rest we need for optimal physical health. That’s because the stimulating content we consume on our devices causes an uptick in adrenaline production which sends signals to our brains that we should stay awake and alert—the opposite of what we want before trying to sleep!
To avoid mental stimulation near bedtime, consider setting a hard cut-off time where you stop using electronics at least one hour before hitting the hay. This will give you time to relax and wind down so you can fall asleep more easily when it comes time for lights out.
We all love spending time online playing video games or chatting with friends—but if you want proper restful sleep each night then limiting your use of digital devices is key! Blue light exposure can suppress melatonin production while mental stimulation can cause undue stress that keeps us awake longer than necessary. Try reducing your device usage before bed or investing in glasses that block out blue light spectrums from computer screens if better sleep is something you desire! That way you'll have plenty of energy during the day instead of feeling sluggish due too lack of shut eye!