Is Your Phone or Tablet Keeping You Awake At Night?

A common problem that I see many of my patients experience is trouble falling asleep at night. In a technology driven world, we tend to fall asleep with a phone or tablet in hand. Staying up late with your device can rob you of a good night’s sleep.

Multiple studies have shown that the blue light that is given off by electronics affects our sleep health by slowing or halting the production of melatonin, the hormone that signals our brain that it’s time for bed. Without melatonin, we stay awake later than intended.

The best solution is to eliminate night time phone or tablet sessions. But what do you do if you cannot give up a late night Netflix show, Facebook browsing, or book on your tablet or phone? Some phones and tablets, particularly Apple products, have a “Night Shift” option that turns off the blue light by using a warm orange-red filter on your screen. There are also apps available for download that can remove the blue light from your screen when you select to do so.

Despite eliminating blue light from your screens, some studies suggest that staring at any screen before bed, whether it is giving off blue light or not, can keep you awake longer. I suggest to put your phone or tablet away at least one hour before bed to help you get a more restful night of sleep.