As people are becoming more and more aware of the latest researches regarding use of gadgets before bed, they are surprisingly becoming more ignorant. Most people know that use of smartphones before bed can definitely affect their sleep patterns and in the long run, can even hamper their brain’s health. But how many of us are taking it seriously?
If you are among those people who love to stare their screens till late and view your social networking account operations, then you must surely watch this video by Dr. Dan Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, who explains his thorough understanding of the negative effects of using phones on bed on our brain and body on the basis of various studies carried on to prove this. This video will compel you to start making efforts to keep your smartphones away to enjoy better health.
Dr. Dan explains that the circadian rhythm, which controls the release of hormones is actually dependent on the light exposure and when you check your phone at night, the screen emits stream of light photons that penetrates right into your eyes signalling your brain that it is not time to fall asleep. You check your phone at 10 p.m, then 11 p.m and yet your are not feeling sleepy because these photons affect your circadian rhythm and stops the production of melatonin hormone that makes you feel tired and sleepy.
This implies that even if you intended to sleep early, you fell asleep after 12 a.m because you were busy checking e-mails, chats or preparing schedules and you will eventually get lesser sleep as you will have to wake up at the stipulated time for relaying through your next day’s schedule. If you regularly follow such a sleep routine, then you are probably getting less than adequate sleep every night.
You may think that this fact is known to all, what’s new in it. But wait…Dr. Dan has more facts to explain. He states that researchers have been studying about the importance of sleep on our long term health and they found that sound sleep for 7 to 9 hours each night provides sufficient rest to active neurons while supporting the glial cells that function to eliminate toxins produced by the neurons, which get accumulated in the brain throughout the day. While 95 percent of people require 7 to 9 hours of sleep for proper removal of these toxins, there are these 5 percent of people who are genetically different and can recover their lost energy, strength and mental relaxation through less hours of sleep.
If you think that you can manage multiple responsibilities at work and home without getting much rest, then you are endangering your health for no good. If you miss out some hours of sleep frequently, then you are prone to suffer from diminished attention levels, impaired memory, inability to logically think and act and even your insulin production may get distorted owing to which your metabolism level may decline making you gain weight faster.
What’s the perfect solution? Dr. Dan recommends prioritising sleep and ensuring that you shut down your phones an hour before sleeping and do all the work you wanted beforehand. Give your mind the necessary relaxation for melatonin hormones to start their work.
A young writer who loves to pen words from creative perspective. Passionate internet surfer, a versatile homemaker and a person who finds pleasure in adopting healthier and positive changes in her persona. An enthusiastic feminist who wishes to make serious changes in the stereotypical thought process of the society via the voice of her words.
