People usually have the habit of scrolling through the apps on their smartphones before going to sleep. Even as harmless as it may seem, you might have a smartphone addiction that can cause serious consequences. Recently, a study looked at the effect of using a phone before going to sleep and its effects on the sleep cycle.
The study appeared recently in the journal Frontiers of Psychiatry.
This study included 1,043 participants aged 18 to 30 years. These participants are the students from King’s College London who filled two questionnaires from the researchers regarding their use of smartphones.
The findings of this study show that 40% of these students have a smartphone addiction. The authors of this study mentioned that the results align with the numbers found around the world which means that these figures are widely applicable. Moreover, using the phone late at night after 1 AM increases the risk of addiction by 3 times.
The study also shows that the students who use phones frequently before going to sleep usually have a poor sleep cycle with poor quality. Previous studies also show that using a phone or digital devices before bed can hinder the sleep cycle. Moreover, the person wakes up feeling tired, gets inadequate sleep, and has trouble falling asleep.
Also read- Pandemic Related Unemployment Led to a Huge Death Toll in the US
Smartphones tend to disturb the natural sleep cycle of the body due to which people experience these issues. Therefore, experts suggest avoiding all kinds of digital devices before going to bed including phones, laptops, computers, etc. The light emitted from these digital screens disturbs the natural pattern of the body to fall asleep and wake up. Also, it disturbs the sleep hormone called melatonin that secretes more at night.
Even though fighting back a smartphone addiction may seem difficult, you can always take little steps to minimize your usage. Also, you can adapt some basic habits to limit using your phone before going to bed. Try to take a break from your phone now and then to help reduce the usage. Switch off your phone when spending time with the family, spending time outdoors, or in a meeting.
Another way to effectively limit your usage is by removing the nonessential social media apps from your phone. You might find yourself mindlessly scrolling through these apps often during the day and night. Therefore, delete the apps from the phone and only look them up through your computer or laptop. This way, you will feel a major difference in the time you spend scrolling through your phone.
Experts also suggest changing the theme of your phone to black and white. The Gray scale does not appeal to the eyes as much as bright and beautiful colors. Therefore, making these little changes may bore you from using the phone before going to bed and help you sleep early.
You can also try to engage in healthy activities before going to bed such as meditation or spending time with the family. Not only these changes will help improve your sleep cycle but also make your overall mood better throughout the day.
