Are smartphones affecting sleep?

Yes! But is there something you can do about it? Yes, again!

By Prajith

| Updated: Wednesday, January 11, 2017, 15:49 [IST]

How long it's been since you slept like a baby? It wouldn't be utterly unsurprising to take "so long" (or "sooooo long") for an answer.

Now, we are not blaming you for boiling the ocean to make some fortune, ending up sleep-deprived, when all you wanted is some good night's sleep. But, what should be blamed for taking away the little amount of sleep-time you do get are smartphones. Wondering how? Keep reading to find out.

Blue light emitted from smartphone screens is the main culprit

Smartphones (or anything that has a screen, for instance, tablets, PCs, Macs, Laptops, and TVs) in general, radiate what's labeled as ‘blue light.' This light tricks our brain that it's time to wake up despite the fact that it's 2:00 in the mid-night (just an example, may vary from person to person) and you are just about to sleep. Hence the sleepless nights.

For those who are curious about the ‘tricking' part, the blue light affects the Melatonin content in our body during the night. What is Melatonin? It's a sleep hormone secreted by the pineal gland which is located in the epithalamus of our body. The science apart, all you have to know about Melatonin is that it is responsible for the regulations of your sleep-wake cycle.

And, blue light is Melatonin's arch-rival. It suppresses the Melatonin level

So, avoiding phone before bed-time helps?

Avoiding phone before you sleep means staying away from the blue light emitted from smartphone's screen. So, it sure helps. But sadly enough, we are not living in an imaginary world. And as much as we hate it, it is hard to deny the fact that staying away from gadgets is quite a herculean task, especially considering the connected world we live in.

So, what do we do about it now?

Use display’s with warmer hues during night

While blue light is Melatonin's arch nemesis, red light (or any warmer hue), on the other hand, is its best bud. Unlike the former, red hues are least likely to affect Melatonin levels in the body. So, we recommend you to adjust your display's color levels to prevent your eyes from being exposed to the blue light.

If you are an iPhone user, Apple had released a new feature called ‘Night Shift' with the iOS 9.3 update (works with iPads as well). Once you turn on the ‘Night Shift' mode on your iPhone, the screen tends to emit warmer colors thereby getting rid of blue light.

Victory!

Also, most of the Android smartphones that have launched in the recent past allow you to adjust the screen's colors. In case, you are too lazy to fiddle with the display settings, which is mostly the case with many, do what you always do. Install a third-party app from the Play Store.