Is Your Smartphone Sabotaging Your Sleep?

Is Your Smartphone Sabotaging Your Sleep?

Most of us can’t imagine going even an hour without our smartphone by our sides. And we don’t think anything of using it to scroll through our social newsfeeds in bed. The problem is that habit could be as damaging to our sleep as downing coffee before turning in for the night. Caffeine’s negative effects on sleep are well-known by almost everyone. But you might be shocked by just how much your smartphone is sabotaging your ability to get to sleep and stay that way. Let’s take a look at why sleeping with your phone could be a horrible idea...

Blue Light and Sleep Patterns

One of the most helpful pieces of mobile device technology is how they emit blue light to allow them to be seen even when it’s sunny. Your smartphone, tablet, and laptop all use blue light in their screens to make it easy to read content. But blue light isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It also has a dark side, which comes into play when you’re trying to get the high-quality sleep you need to thrive. Blue light has been found to suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you get to sleep at night. In nature, blue light is most plentiful during the morning hours, which tells our brains that it’s time to be alert. On the other side of the spectrum is red light, which is abundant when the sun sets and gives us the signal that it’s time for sleep. That’s where blue-light-emitting devices like smartphones become problematic. Mother Nature is trying to help our bodies get to sleep by generating red light. But we’re bombarding ourselves with “morning signals” by using our phones or tablets in bed.

Health Risks of Blue Light

Using your cellphone in bed won’t just make you feel groggy in the morning. Blue light can also have some scary effects on your health. The following health risks have all been associated with too much exposure to blue light.
  • Diabetes and obesity
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Impaired memory and focus
  • Early onset of heart disease
  • Multiple types of cancer

How to Take Back Your Sleep

While not using any type of blue light technology after the sun goes down is the best way to get awesome sleep, it’s simply not an option for most of us. That’s why we’ve done a bit of research to help you take back your sleep, with or without a smartphone. Try the following better sleep tips to decrease the negative impact of blue light:
  • Avoid using a mobile device at least 2 or 3 hours before bedtime
  • Use red or orange bulbs in your reading lamps or nightlights
  • Make sure your room is totally dark at night (or use a sleep mask)
  • Try to get as much exposure to natural light as you can in your days

Get Better Sleep with a Better Bed

Avoiding the damaging effects of blue light isn’t the only thing you can do to help yourself sleep better. You can also upgrade your bed for the ultimate in nighttime comfort and support. There are tons of memory foam benefits that might surprise you. But it should come as no shock that not having springs digging into your back is an improvement, right? That’s why we created the Lull Mattress in the first place – to help you get the best sleep ever.
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