You have had a long day at work. You finished binge-watching your favorite Netflix show, and now it’s time for bed. You lay down, but before you nod off, you open up Tik-Tok to do your usual bedtime newsfeed scroll.
Five minutes turns into ten minutes; ten minutes turns into thirty minutes, now it’s 1 AM, and you’re not quite sure how you got here. Did we mention you have to be up for work at 6 AM?
We’ve all been there. But, before you do your usual nighttime TikTok scroll, you might want to think about how exposure to screen time before bed is keeping you from getting proper sleep. Our phones and laptops have become a digital extension of our bodies in modern society.
In other words, our screens have become a part of us. However, it might be time to break free from our phone separation anxiety before bed. MYCHN has compiled the four reasons you need to limit screen time before bed.
1. Screen Light Disrupts Circadian Rhythms
Have you ever wondered how your body knows when to wake up? That’s all thanks to our circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is your body’s natural clock. Light exposure is what dictates being awake and alert.
The sun is usually the light source that sends signals to keep us awake and alert.
When there is little to no light exposure at night, melatonin is produced. Melatonin is a hormone that helps us to fall asleep and stay asleep.
What does that have to do with screen time before bed? Your phone produces blue light. This light imitates daylight. At night, this can be problematic because the blue light emission will trick your brain into producing less melatonin. If your brain is producing less melatonin, you will be awake and alert during the night.
2. Radiation Exposure
Our cell phones emit radiation. While this radiation isn’t Chernobyl level, it can still wreak havoc on your sleep quality. A study published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Progress in Electromagnetics Research Symposium found that radiation from cell phones can cause sleep delays and reduced sleep.
Furthermore, radiation emitted from cell phones can cause headaches and confusion. Screen time before bed is linked to people taking longer to reach deeper levels of sleep.
Even though you’re sleeping, your body is active while you sleep. Your body repairs and damages done to your body while you sleep.
If you are taking longer to reach deeper levels of sleep (this is when your body does the most repairing), your body cannot repair this damage.
3. Retina Damage
The blue light emitted from cell phones can cause damage to the retina. An animal study found blue light can be toxic to retina photosensitive cells. These cells are irreplaceable.
Scientists theorize that if it’s toxic for animals, it will be harmful to humans.
4. Groggy and tired in the morning
Screen time before bed can leave you tired and groggy in the morning. We have all found ourselves exhausted and foggy in the morning. It can feel like your brain and energy is in slow motion. If you are doing your nightly TIK TOK or Facebook scroll, you can open your mind to emotions.
We have all gone down the social media rabbit hole and seen something that may have made us angry or sad. Unfortunately, this emotional response can lead to a delay in falling asleep.
Lack of sleep causes decreased mental function and irritability.
In other words, you won’t be the most productive human being while going about your day.
How to reduce screen time before bed
We aren’t going to lie; we know how tough it can be to part with your screen before bed. However, It can lead to better, deeper sleep. So here are some tips to reduce screen time before bed.
- Use Nighttime mode on your phone (or dim the brightness)
- Make your bedroom a screen-free area
- Keep your lighting dim a couple of hours before bed
- Create a bedtime routine
- Read a book before bed instead of screen time.
How long before bed should I stop screen time?
The national sleep foundation recommends that you should cut off-screen time at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Reading a book that sparks your interest is a great alternative.
Bottom Line:
Our devices are supposed to make our lives easier. In many ways, they do—however, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Many of us use our phones all through the day and night. Phones and screens produce radiation and can harm your eyes.
Screen time before bed can dramatically impact your quality of sleep. You may want to consider limiting your screen time before bed.
References:
Under the Brain’s Control | Healthy Sleep (harvard.edu)
Mobile phone radiation wrecks your sleep | The Independent | The Independent
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/how-to-determine-poor-quality-sleep
We Really Shouldn’t Be Sleeping With a Mobile Phone Near or in Our Beds | The Swaddle
