The digital era has revolutionized the way we live our lives. With a tap on our smartphones, we can access the entire world and all its wonders. However, with that convenience comes a price – we are losing our sleep.

Yes, you read that right! With notifications popping up every few seconds, binge-watching shows till the wee hours of the morning, and social media addiction, our phones are robbing us of our precious sleep.

The Science Behind Sleep Deprivation

Before we delve into the reasons why our phones are robbing us of our sleep, let us take a look at the importance of sleep. Human beings need 7-9 hours of sleep every day to remain healthy and function optimally.

However, the percentage of people getting enough sleep has been on a steady decline over the past few years.

According to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, over 90% of Americans use their phones before going to sleep.

As a result, 58% of respondents reported feeling sleepy the next day, while 44% said that their performance at work suffered due to inadequate sleep.

Researchers have established a link between sleep deprivation and a host of health issues such as obesity, diabetes, depression, and cardiovascular diseases.

Moreover, lack of sleep can severely impact cognitive functions like memory, attention, and decision-making.

The Culprit behind Our Sleep Deprivation – Our Phones

So, what is it about our phones that makes them the primary culprit of our sleep deprivation?.

Blue Light

Our phones emit blue light, a type of light that the brain perceives as sunlight. This light suppresses the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, making it difficult to fall asleep.

Consequently, scrolling through social media feeds or watching videos on our phones at night confuses our internal clock, making us believe that it is still day time and making it harder to fall asleep.

Addiction to Social Media and Games

Online addiction is a growing phenomenon, and social media and games have a considerable role to play. We tend to spend hours scrolling through our social media feeds, watching unending stories, and playing games on our phones.

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This addiction leads to a cycle of reward-seeking behavior that keeps us hooked to our phones, even at night.

Notifications

Notifications are a critical feature of smartphones because they keep us updated about important events. However, notifications can also disturb our sleep, especially if we cannot resist the urge to check our phones every time one pops up.

Notifications from social media apps, messaging apps, or work emails can be particularly disturbing and can leave us anxious and stressed.

The Solution – Mindful Phone Usage

If you want to sleep better, there are some simple steps to take to reduce your phone’s impact on your sleep cycle. Below are some recommendations:.

Avoid Using Your Phone in Bed

Make sure that your phone is not the last thing you look at before going to bed. Avoid using your phone, especially for social media browsing, for at least an hour before bedtime.

It will give your brain time to wind down and signal to your body that it is time to sleep.

Use Night Mode

Many smartphone manufacturers now have features like night mode that reduce the amount of blue light emitted by the screen. This helps to protect your eyes, reduce eyestrain and signal to your body that it is time to wind down.

Night mode also makes it easier to fall asleep.

Turn Off Notifications

Turning off notifications from your phone, especially at night, can be very helpful in reducing the impact on your sleep. While it is not advisable to turn off all notifications, you can choose to keep notifications from important contacts only.

Conclusion.

The rise of smartphones has provided us with convenience, but it has also robbed us of our sleep.

The constant use of smartphones, exposure to blue light, addiction to social media and games, and the anxiety caused by notifications can severely impact our sleep and lead to several health issues. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of our phone usage, create healthy sleep habits, and take proactive measures to protect our sleep.