We live in a world where technology is constantly around us, and it's only getting more connected. There are many benefits to this, but one of the challenges is that it can make sleep difficult for some people. The blue light from screens messes with our circadian rhythms, which leads to difficulty sleeping at night. To help you get better sleep while still being able to use your phone during the day here are some simple tips.
How Smartphones Create the Problems with Sleeping
There are many reasons why people don't sleep well. Problems with sleeping can be caused by all sorts of things like stress, alcohol consumption, caffeine intake and more. However, smartphones may also play a role in the lack of quality rest that so many experience every night. This is because smartphones are a significant part of many people's lives, and they often go to bed with them.
A lot of peaople can admit to using their cellphones at night, and many will also say that they have trouble sleeping because of it. This is not surprising since most people know the dangers smart phones pose on sleep: blue light exposure from screens has been linked with insomnia and other sleep disorders. But did you know that these problems date back all the way to 2007 when smartphones were first released?
Using a smartphone before going to sleep may make it harder for you to fall asleep.In fact, according to research presented by Harvard Health Publications , exposure to blue light suppresses the production of this vital hormone up until three hours later! Therefore, keeping your phone out of reach while trying to get some zzzzs might be an important thing do if getting better rest is something you're striving for. It's important to know how much screen brightness affects our brains so we may decrease or increase its impact on us as needed.
How Smartphones can help with Sleeping Problems
The better step to getting better sleep to try keeping your phone outside of your room so you don’t even see it when lying down at night. It might seem trivial but there are so many studies out there that show how detrimental our phones can be on our health if we use them too close to sleeping time. Try taking a break from social media by deleting apps like Facebook or Snapchat, which keep us checking back constantly throughout the day. Apps like Twitter will do less damage as they are more public platforms where users are posting publicly rather than uploading content privately with an audience made up of only their friends (although that’s still a cause for concern).
Turn off all notifications and put your phone on airplane mode at bedtime. This way you won't get any interruptions from alerts, texts or calls that will prevent you from falling asleep quickly. Having a screen light in the room can also be disruptive to sleep since it reduces melatonin production which is critical for initiating restorative sleep.
Dim your smartphone display as low as possible when using it before going to bed by adjusting the brightness settings of your device's main menu options. You'll find this setting under "Display" in most Android devices while iPhones have an option called "Auto Brightness" within their Display Settings menus allowing users to automatically adjust backlight intensity based upon ambient lighting conditions according to Apple Support instructions if needed.
Consider using an app that gradually reduces the amount of blue light your screen emits over time. This helps delay melatonin suppression which can make it harder to fall asleep at night according to Harvard Medical School research. There are a few apps available that do this including f.lux, Twilight and Apple's Night Shift feature if you have iOS devices with up-to-date software updates installed on them as directed by their manufacturers instructions.
Avoid using your smartphone in bed. The light disrupts natural melatonin production and can make it harder to fall asleep when you find yourself awake at night. Sleep experts recommend avoiding any screen time for an hour before going to sleep if possible because of this disruptive property according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Don't look at your phone when you wake up at night! If it is something important, then answer and go back to sleep. Otherwise leave it until morning or simply ignore the notification(s) altogether if they aren’t urgent. It will keep you from worrying about what might be happening on social media (or whatever else). Instead of checking your device every few minutes, try meditating for a couple of minutes or drinking some water instead - that way you can get right back into deep sleep without any interruptions!
Summary
Smartphones have taken over our daily lives without us noticing. People are constantly on their phones, checking for updates and notifications that they may not even care about in the first place. But is it really necessary to check your phone right before bed? Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try to put down your smartphone late at night, there are certain things that can keep you up all night long - or at least prevent full relaxation so you don't fall asleep easily when trying to do so. But if you will use your smartphone wisely, you can actually benefit from it and get a better night's sleep.
The best way to getting better sleep is turning off your phone. If this sounds impossible for you because everyone else in the family uses their devices late at night as well, then try using blue-light blocking screen glasses which will minimize any potential disruptions from artificial lights while also helping suppress melatonin production, which naturally makes us want to fall asleep . And if everything fails and you simply can't resist checking your phone right before bed, then at least set a specific time to do so. You can use an app that will help you achieve this goal - for example, the Offtime app which limits smartphone usage by allowing only certain apps during designated times of day.