Take your phone to take a final look on social networks or watch a video before sleeping appears to be harmless – but your sleep may be sabotaged. A recently published study in psychiatry is strengthening the periodic boundaries: at night screen at night the screen has a direct impact on the quality of comfort and greatly raises the risk of insomnia.
A SearchesCarry out by Norway, Australia and Sweden scientists, analyzing the customs of approximately 40,000 people between the ages of 18 and 28. For every additional time to use electronic devices in bed, and the risk of injury insomnia It increases by 59 %, and the investigation concludes. In addition, this practice causes a 24 -minute decrease in the total bedtime.
According to Leticia Soster, the world of clinical neurological physiology and medical sleep at the Israeli Albert Einstein Hospital, the conclusions presented by the study confirm what experts have noticed in their clinical practice. This is mainly due to two factors: the first is the blue light, which is emitted by electronic devices, which affects melatonin, a hormone that indicates our body that increases time to sleep.
“The second is behavioral: consumer content, often motivates or emotionally charged, generates brain activation that makes relaxation necessary to start sleeping. That is, both light and the type of activity in the end delay and influence on comfort,” explains.
In the short term, the consequences are lighter. “The poor quality leads to problems such as irritation, low focus during the day, memory failure, and learning difficulties,” says Lucien Emilizeri Luna de Milo, a pulmonary expert and a sleeping medicine expert at the University of Sao Paulo.
After a while, the effects may be more serious. “It increases the risk of anxiety, depression and physical issues such as weight gain and increased metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Sleep is essential for general health maintenance,” Soster adds.
A Chronic deprivation of sleep Not only affects the mood and daily performance: in the long run, it raises the risk of cardiovascular disease – such as infarction and stroke – and weakens bone health, preferably the development of osteoporosis. In addition, the inappropriate sleep is associated with cognitive decrease, which increases the risk of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, and weakens the immune system, which reduces the body’s ability to defend infections.
“But it is important to enhance that the effect of the screens is not only measured by the time of use, but also at the present time and the type of activity. Sometimes, a few minutes of activity is very stimulating on the phone before the bed is sufficient to harm sleep,” says Leticia Suster.
Boundaries Using fabricsEspecially at night, it is the only way to protect yourself from these damages. “The ideal is to avoid exposure to screens two hours before going to bed,” Milo says. In addition, there are currently settings on mobile phones and tablets to reduce blue light emissions at night, which can help but not replace the need to reduce use.
To ensure more compensatory nights, the guidance is to adopt a strict “sleep cleanliness”. This includes setting fixed times and waking up – without opening on weekends or holidays – and avoiding at least three hours before bedtime, caffeine drinks (coffee, tea and soda) or alcohol. It is also important to choose snacks at night, keep the room darker and silence as much as possible and organize room temperature to be enjoyable, without excessive heat or cold.
