Why You Should Stop Sleeping Near Your Cell Phone (and How to Do It)
Three Takeaways:
Research shows those who use their phones while they prepare for bed tend to sleep less and experience poorer sleep quality compared to those who refrain, with those who intentionally avoid cell phone use for 30 minutes before going to bed showing much longer and more restful sleep.
The lights & stimulation produced by cell phones have a negative effect on the circadian rhythm. Darkness plays a key role by signaling the body to wind down and boosting melatonin production, the hormone that promotes sleepiness. When you’re exposed to cell phone light at night, it can disrupt this process, making it more difficult to fall asleep.
Some safety risks come with keeping your phone by the bed. First, if it ends up under a pillow or blanket, restricted airflow can cause the battery to overheat and potentially start a fire. Second, the writer raises concerns about cancer from ongoing exposure to cell phone radiation (though he notes that while studies are ongoing, no data has definitively proven this link)
We also need to worry about what happens when we wake up: Research suggests that reaching for your phone first thing in the morning can elevate stress, disrupt focus, and set an unhealthy tone for the rest of the day.
There are some key techniques for breaking the habit of keeping your phone by your bed:Ditch the Tracking App
- Charge Your Phone Overnight in Another Room: This allows you to establish a better mental block that keeps you from making phone use in bed an impulse. It will be difficult at first, but become easier quickly.
- Ditch the apps: There is no shortage of sleep tracking technology out there, as well as white noise and “sleep music” apps. These are unnecessary, and add far less benefit than simply not using your phone at night.
- Create a bedtime Buffer Zone: Use the 30 to 60 minutes before your bedtime to relax with screen-free activities, like reading. This gives your eyes and brain a chance to wind down, and for your circadian rhythm to take hold.
By creating simple boundaries around phone use—like charging it outside the bedroom and giving yourself a screen-free buffer before sleep—you can protect your rest, improve your wellbeing, and reclaim the night as a time of true restoration.
From Brandon Peters, MD for VeryWell Health
Read the whole story.