Do not disturb

image credit - Pinterest

There is no denying technology has aided in making our lives easier and more efficient but has it come at a cost to our sleep health?

Going back to a time many years ago life, when we slept and for how long a duration, used to be influenced by seasonal changes and the only pressure to wake up would come from the sun and natural daylight.

All of us are increasingly tethered to our devices, whether that reason is for social or work purposes. Consistently running my blog and social media channels has certainly increased my screen time. We have become technology-obsessed as our devices have become essential for keeping up with our workloads, and social lives by tracking anything and everything. This has come at a price, as technology is good at keeping us awake.

Some experts believe that it was the industrial revolution that was responsible for radically altering our sleep patterns as artificial oil and gas lamps made it possible for people to work around the clock. Then came the invention of the incandescent light bulb in 1879 by Thomas Edison.

This radical invention seems to have had a tremendous impact on the body’s internal circadian rhythm. This artificial lighting was the means for a much longer workday changing society's attitudes towards sleep. Since then our sleep patterns have gone through a rollercoaster of changes. Then came the rise of modern technology setting the course for further disruption to our natural sleep cycle.

It used to be that the primary source of blue light came from the sun but it’s everywhere now. The blue light from our TVs, computers and handheld devices can disrupt the crucial transition from wakefulness to sleepiness. Especially as we often lie in bed with our glowing screens a nose length away from our eyeballs right before it’s time to go to bed.

Normally levels of melatonin released into the body with the onset of darkness rise an hour or two before bedtime. This signals to our bodies that it's time to sleep. When we are immersed in the stream of blue light from our devices this suppresses melatonin production and the light tells our brain to be awake.

Likes, comments and communication from friends all have an impact on our sleep health as this causes the release of the chemical dopamine in the brain. Making us feel happy and triggering the reward system in our brain makes it really hard to turn off or put down the device as the pleasure centres of our bed are activated.

The use of devices also has an impact on the length of REM sleep, which helps us to consolidate memories as the light radiates directly into our eyes. Using sleep mode may help as it limits exposure to too much light close to bedtime.

So how can we form healthier habits with our devices?

I use the app Headspace as part of my bedtime routine as I find meditation and focusing on my breathing helps to calm my mind. The app has a whole section dedicated to sleep with a variety of content including sleep casts, which are a personal favourite. Most smartphones have built-in do not disturb settings which allow you to set a sleep schedule, silencing calls, alerts and notifications between certain times as long as your device is locked.

As long as you are the one in control of your devices there is no reason why your sleep health has to suffer.