In today’s digital age, it is almost impossible to escape screen time. From phones and tablets to laptops and TVs, screens are everywhere.

While screens have greatly impacted our lives, they might also cause serious health issues that we might not even realize. A common side effect of prolonged screen exposure is poor sleep quality.

How Screens Affect Sleep?

The light emitting from electronic screens affects our bodies’ hormones and circadian rhythms, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Screens emit blue light, which suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. When we use screens late at night, it confuses our internal clock and disrupts the natural sleep cycle. This is particularly harmful if the screen time is all-consuming and people lose track of time and stay up longer than intended.

Screens and Insomnia

The use of screens can lead to insomnia, making it difficult for people to fall and stay asleep. Sleep onset insomnia (SOI) is a condition where people are unable to fall asleep quickly or at all, and can take hours before slipping into slumber.

Sleep maintenance insomnia (SMI) is the difficulty in staying asleep once we’ve managed to achieve it. Both forms of insomnia could arise from the excessive use of electronic gadgets at night.

Other Health Impacts of Poor Sleep

Various studies have found that poor sleep has a direct correlation to a ton of health issues and medical conditions. While sleep varies from person to person, adults are advised to get 7-8 hours of sleep. Below are some of the effects of poor sleep.

Depression and Anxiety

A lack of sleep affects mental health. Sleep-deprived people may experience increased anxiety, depression, and mood swings.

Obesity and Diabetes

Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough sleep are more prone to obesity and weight gain. The body’s internal clock controls metabolism and hormones that affect hunger and appetite.

This is why people who don’t get enough sleep may crave unhealthy foods and lack energy. Furthermore, sleeplessness can cause insulin deficiency, which can cause diabetes.

Cardiovascular Disease

Chronic sleep deprivation could put you at higher risk of developing heart diseases like heart attacks and strokes. Insufficient sleep can lead to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and other heart-related issues.

Mitigating the effects of Screen time on Sleep

It is difficult, if not impossible, to avoid electronic screens, but we can reduce the effects they have on sleep. Here are some ways:.

Ways to reduce prolonged screen exposure

1. Create a schedule

Create a schedule of when to use screens, and when to put them down. This helps regulate the amount of time spent awake and using screens.

2. Use Low light mode or Night Shift

Most phones, computers, and tablets have a night mode or low-light mode that adjusts the display’s color temperature away from blue hues and towards reds/amber. This helps reduce melatonin disruption.

3. Limit nighttime screen use

It is advisable not to use screens for at least an hour before bedtime or during the night. This helps train the body to prepare for sleep.

4. Use a physical book to read at night

Instead of reading e-books before bed, try swapping physical books.

5. Use a screen filter

Try using a night-time screen filter that reduces blue light exposure. This helps adjust the screen color temperature, which reduces the amount of blue light that hits your eyes, and subsequently improve melatonin production.

Conclusion

While screens expose us to a lot of benefits like connectivity, it’s essential to realize that it can have serious consequences on our health.

The lack of sleep alone can cause a ton of issues, and screen exposure is one of the leading causes of poor sleep quality. As such, it is essential to be aware of how and when we use screens, and put measures in place to reduce their effects on sleep.