The problems your phone causes at night

For many people the furthest their phone is away from them is when they are doing something phone-unfriendly, like taking a shower. Even then there are gadgets that will let you take your phone in the shower or bath with you.

Last week we talked about keeping your phone close and the issues that can cause, both mental and physical. Mobile phone-related anxiety disorders are on the rise, addiction and other problems that challenge how embedded phones are in our lives and as a conduit to other issues like social media addiction, 24/7 news broadcasting doom and gloom, stress and overwork. Then on the physical side – how mobile phone radiation is linked to tumours, cancer and male infertility and how keeping our phones close puts us at risk.

That article missed out a big chunk of our daily lives with our phones. About a third, in fact: the 8 hours a night we spend sleeping. Or should be sleeping. And your phone plays a big part in that too.

Often, to help us relax and nod off, we use our phones in bed to read. But in fact it has the opposite effect. The phone’s screen emits blue light that is similar to sunlight and it is sunlight our bodies use to regulate our body clock, the circadian rhythm. So exposing yourself to the blue light from the mobile phone makes your body think it is still getting sunlight, so it must be daytime, so the melatonin sleep hormone should not be produced. So we stay awake and don’t get sleepy.

It is the same effect as jet lag, putting your body at odds with the actual time. It leads to shorter, broken night’s sleep and results in sleep deprivation where we are moody, irritable and clumsy the next day, more accident prone and less able to concentrate.

Over time sleep deprivation can build to a sleep disorder or regular insomnia and the health effects go beyond feeling drowsy the next day. The mind needs time to decompress in sleep so a lack of sleep leads to stress, depression and anxiety. The physical body needs the respite of sleep and not getting enough causes diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

You can avoid all the side effects of blue light with a blue light filter from WaveWall. It filters the blue light so it doesn’t send confusing signals to your brain and body and doesn’t stop you from falling asleep. The anti blue light filter is easy to apply to your screen and keeps the phone safe from scratches too. Don’t let your mobile interrupt your night’s sleep, use a WaveWall anti blue light filter.

Where do you keep your mobile phone when you sleep? Do you use it last thing at night, or during the night?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!