Technology has invaded the bedroom. Such alerting invasions may contribute to the high proportion of people who reported they routinely get less sleep than they need.
Technology has invaded the bedroom. Such alerting invasions may contribute to the high proportion of people who reported they routinely get less sleep than they need. But here’s a way out: If you find it difficult to switch off and go to sleep, the answer could lie in turning off your TV, computer and mobile phone an hour before bed.
Experts suggest switching off the TV, computer and mobile phone an hour before going to bed to get a good night’s sleep.
Nine in 10 people admit using electronics in the hour before turning out the lights and they claim that it’s wrecking their sleep patterns, the Daily Mail reported. Artificial glare emitted by electronics at home and over-stimulation of the brain have both been blamed for wrecking sleep patterns.
The worst activities are video games, using mobiles and surfing the Internet, according to a major survey by the US National Sleep Foundation. Dr Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School said: “Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed suppresses release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts normal sleep patterns to a later hour.”
Even after lights out technology is disrupting sleep. One in 10 people in their 20s said they were routinely woken during the night by a phone call, text message or e-mail. Professor Jim Horne, director of the sleep research centre at Loughborough University, said: “Even children aged five, six and seven have got video games in their bedroom. They need to settle down and relax before going to bed.”
Dependence on televisions, cellphones and laptops may be costing you dearly in lack of sleep. The penchant for watching television every evening before going to sleep, playing video games late into the night or checking e-mails and text messages before turning off the lights could be interfering with the sleep habits. “Unfortunately, cellphones and computers, which make our lives more productive and enjoyable, may be abused to the point that they contribute to getting less sleep at night leaving millions of people functioning poorly the next day,” Russell Rosenberg, the vice-chairman of Washington DC-based National Sleep Foundation (NSF), said.
Nearly 95% of people questioned in an NSF study said they used some type of electronics in the hour before going to bed, and about two-thirds admitted they do not get enough sleep during the week.
—With agency inputs
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