There are so many things out there that impact our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. From an illness to stress at home to a tragic event or even just the food we eat, there’s a lot to contend with. Recent technology has added a whole slew of negative effects on our brains and their ability to get us the sleep we need. Sleep is one of the most important aspects to being healthy and living a happy and productive life, which is why it’s so important to take into account recent technological advances and their effects on our slumber.
Electronics and Light
Almost all modern day electronic devices: smartphones, tablets, e-readers, computers, and television screens, emit large amounts of blue light. The problem with this is that light in the blue spectrum is the most disruptive to our brain’s natural circadian rhythm and ability to produce melatonin, an important sleep hormone. Exposure to high amounts of blue light in the hour or two before bedtime can have a major effect on our ability to fall asleep, and can also cause long-term issues with our bodies’ natural rhythms.
Ways to Combat Blue Light’s Effects
The problem, as everyone knows, is that it’s very hard to stay away from electronics before bed. Watching a movie, playing video games, or checking email and social media are a very common way to wind down before bed, and it’s hard to find relaxing activities that we can focus on for that long before bed. If reading is your thing, that may be a solution. Quiet time with family or housemates may be another option. Conversation about pleasant things that aren’t likely to be upsetting or even a board game that won’t get everyone riled up are good options as well.
Exercising before bed has been rumored to make it more difficult to fall asleep, but this isn’t the case. It would take an extreme amount of vigorous activity to affect our calm-down centers. If skepticism is still an issue, maybe a relaxing activity like yoga or a nice stroll can help. If it’s just impossible to stay away from the electronic devices before bedtime, there have been some promising studies that show “orange goggles,” or glasses meant to block light from the blue spectrum from entering our retinas, can help individuals sleep better even with exposure to electronics just prior to bedtime.
Electronic’s Effect On Our Natural Cycles
The last and probably most surprising piece of modern technology that has an impact on our brain’s relationship with light is alarm clocks. Before these existed, it was very common for human beings to rise naturally when the sun rose. Modern schedules combined with the ability to wake up whenever we need have resulted in us having to either fall asleep or rise while the sun is up.
While blue light affects our rhythms the most, light of any kind has this effect. The sun also emits a large amount of blue spectrum light, so it may make it more difficult to fall asleep before dusk. The sun may wake us up before we’re ready or cause disturbances in our morning slumber. A simple solution to this problem is to use blackout curtains or another form of blackout window covering to help our brains think it’s sleepy time when it may not be.
Electronics and Our Cognitive Processes
There are so many things that can get our minds riled up or cause us to feel strong emotions, but electronics are one of the largest culprits. Depending on how we use them and what we do with them, they can have a huge effect on our cognitive processes.
Electronics and Emotions
A lot of recent research and theories have come about involving our emotional connections to and through electronic devices. Smartphones in particular have become very ingrained in our lives and have the ability to make us more and less connected to the world both at the same time. What I mean by that is: while smartphones allow us to communicate with almost anyone at any time, expanding our connection to the world, they also tend to distract us from those around us, diminishing the connections we have in our personal relationships.
Our smartphones or any other electronic device have the ability to make us just as upset, anxious, or sad as an actual exchange with a person would. However, the fact that they are not there at the time to resolve it can make these emotions stronger and cling longer. An argument with a partner may cause anger, but seeing them cry, seeing the look of love in their eyes, or just having them there will help soothe strong emotions. Getting in an argument via smartphone ramps up the same emotions but takes the human experience out of it, making it more difficult to relate to the other individual involved, which can be an emotional disaster.
The other issue with electronics and emotions is that watching television shows and movies or playing games where we are invested in the characters/outcomes can cause significant emotional reactions, good or bad. Watching a very enlightening documentary before bed may make it difficult to sleep if we’re off in the land of wonderful possibilities. Playing a frustrating game can carry frustration with us onto your pillow and make it difficult to relax. We all know a scary movie or television show before bed can cause fear and anxiety, which create adrenaline, our natural defense against threats. Try getting to sleep when every body process is urging you to stay awake and alert.
Electronics and Cognition
While there are plenty of smartphone apps and video games that are meant to be soothing, relaxing, or “zen,” most of the activities we do on these devices will have the opposite effect on our brains. Playing an intense game, engaging with social media, or even working from an electronic device all keep our brains engaged and alert. This alertness remains even after we put the device down, which can be an issue if we put it down right before bed.
The ability of electronics of all kinds to distract us is a growing issue, as well. We all know that using a smartphone while walking or worse, driving, can be very hazardous, but how does this distracted state of mind carry over? Multi-tasking during the day is sometimes necessary, but recent technological upgrades have made it possible to muti-task in almost any scenario. Too much muti-tasking can be fatiguing rather than relaxing, which sounds great if sleep is the goal, right? Wrong. Too much fatigue during the day, especially mental fatigue, actually has adverse effects on our slumber. Our brains need a certain amount of downtime every day to function normally, and keeping them on edge most of the time will affect their natural processes.
So What’s The Answer?
It seems, overwhelmingly, that the best answer would be to stay away from electronic devices for an hour or two before bedtime. While it may not be easy, and it may not happen every night, the benefits can greatly outweigh the advantages these devices offer. Blue light is only scratching the surface of the adverse effects screens and devices have on our slumber.
Adequate sleep is not only an important factor in good overall health: lack of sleep can have major ramifications on your entire body. From general irritableness to mood disorders, higher risk of heart disease and obesity, to loss of memory and cognitive function, a serious or long-term failure to obtain adequate sleep is not something you want to dabble with.
I hope that these tips and information can help you learn to sleep a little better and live a little healthier, even with all the hectic, fast-paced technological innovations being thrown at us constantly. If you have any of your own thoughts or tips to share, please leave them in the comments. Sweet Dreams!
By AJ Earley