‘Lights out’ should also apply to your smartphone for these three reasons that could affect your health and wellbeing.
Whether you quickly check your emails before you go to sleep or do a bit of online shopping, there are reasons why keeping your smartphone with you at night isn’t a good idea.
It can damage the quality of your sleep and leave you feeling grumpy
Research by the University of Haifa found that short-wavelength blue light emitted by smartphone, computers and tablet screens damages the duration and the quality of sleep.
The researchers found that blue light suppresses the production of melatonin and on average, exposure to blue light reduced the duration of sleep by approximately 16 minutes. However, the most significant findings by the team were that exposure to blue light drastically disrupts the continuity of sleep. Monitoring participants of the study’s exposure to blue light, 6.7 awakenings were recorded with exposure to weak blue light, rising to as many as 7.6 awakenings a night following exposure to strong blue light.
The participants in the study reported that they felt more tired and in a worse mood after exposure to blue light.
It’s a fire hazard
According to the 2017 Hartford Home Fire Index, charging a phone overnight is considered a moderate fire risk, yet charging a phone overnight on your bed is considered a high risk.
It could affect your happiness
Research by Professor Sally Power from Wales Institute for Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) has found that one in five young people regularly wake up in the night to send or check messages on social media which could be affecting their happiness and wellbeing.
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