Using the cell phone at night, before bedtime, can cause insomnia and decrease sleep quality, and even increases the chances of depression or high blood pressure. This is because the light emitted by the electronic devices is blue, which stimulates the brain to stay active longer, moving away from sleep and deregulating the biological sleep-wake cycle.
But it's not just the cell phone that emits this bluish light that detracts from sleep, any electronic screen has the same effect, such as TV, tablet, computer, and even fluorescent lights that are not suitable for indoors. So ideally, these screens are not used when lying in bed to sleep. And this recommendation is even more important for those who wake up always tired or have trouble sleeping.
Main health risks
The main risk of using electronic screens before bedtime is related to difficulty in getting to sleep. However, this type of light also seems to increase the risk of having other serious health problems such as:
- Cancer, such as breast or prostate;
- Diabetes;
- Obesity;
- Depression;
- Cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure or arrhythmia.
In addition to these risks, this type of light also causes more eye strain, since blue light is harder to focus on and therefore the eyes need to be constantly adapting.
Understand that other risks can cause frequent use of cell phones.
How Blue Light Affects Sleep
Almost all colors of light can affect sleep because they cause the brain to produce less melatonin, which is the main hormone responsible for helping you fall asleep at night.
However, the blue light, which is produced by almost all electronic devices, seems to be the kind of light that has the most effect on the production of this hormone, reducing its amount for up to 3 hours after exposure.
In this way, people who are exposed to electronic devices until a few moments before sleep can have lower levels of melatonin, which can cause difficulty in getting to sleep and also difficulty maintaining a quality sleep.
How to reduce exposure to blue light
To avoid the risks of blue light and to get better sleep, faster sleep and better quality, it is recommended to have some care like:
- Install applications on your phone that allow brightness to change from blue to yellow or orange, such as SunFilter, Lux Lite or Screen Adjuster Free, for example.
- Avoid using electronic appliances for up to 2 or 3 hours before bedtime;
- Prefer warm yellow or reddish lights to light the house at night;
- Wear sunglasses that block blue light at night.
In addition, using many electronic gadgets during the day can also help you sleep better at night, while increasing alertness and alertness during the day.
