Everyone loves their smart phone. They are beneficial for many things. Almost everywhere I go, everyone has a smart phone or a handheld device. We take them everywhere- to school, sports, clubs, shopping and extracurricular activities. Even before we go to sleep we can be seen using them or we leave them right by our bedside. However, using your phone within the hour before bed or having your phone by your bedside can be a distraction in your sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation found that 95% of Americans, including children and adults, use a handheld device before they go to sleep. Playing games or checking social media can make it harder for us to fall asleep since it will be harder to reach a deep sleep. It’s even more unsafe for children and teens to use hand held devices before bed because they need more hours of sleep and keep their devices by themselves while they sleep.
Not only is it a distraction before bed but it can be a distraction during your sleep. Leaving your cell phone by you while you sleep seems normal to most teens. Many of us use our devices as alarm clocks, in case we need to reach it for an emergency, or just as simple as answering a text from a friend.
Cell phone radiation can interrupt sleep and condense your sleep cycle, according to studies by Professor Arnetz, Swedish professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Arnetz also believes that the radiation will make people more awake and concentrated which will make it harder to reach a deep sleep. Having your device by you or with you can also lead to depression and headaches.
Using hand held devices before bed is a fun pastime before bed. But limiting the amount of time we spend or not even using them before we actually wind down and go to sleep is a good way to prevent the harmful effects of the radiation before bed.