As we live in a world that is more and more technological, we are constantly connected to social media, entertainment and work, taking with us some sort of device anytime and anywhere, even in our sleep.
A study made by the American National Sleep Foundation found that 95 percent of people use some kind of electronic device before going to sleep which deeply affects their sleeping time, the benefits of it and the way they function in the following day.
But how do electronic devices affect us so much? Here are some answers.
Lights
When our brain senses light, in this case from the device’s screen, it assumes that it’s daylight so it delays the production of melatonin (the hormone that induces our sleep). Consequently, the more we stay, for example, in our phones, the more we take to fall asleep.
Sounds
Just like lights, technological devices are full of sounds that stimulate our brain, such as notifications, texts or calls, which makes it hard to fall asleep. Even if the sound is turned off some people still feel the need to wake up in the middle of the night to check their phone for new notifications. Check the explanation for this phenomenon in our FOMO article.
Technology driven anxiety
Various types of digital content are very stimulating for the brain, both positively and negatively. For example, checking our email before going to sleep increases our stress levels, making it more difficult to fall asleep. The same happens if we watch a scary video or movie as our brain turns our defensive attention on.
Check the video down below to learn some tricks on how to improve your sleep!
Sources:
Mind & Technology 