Using Your Smartphone Too Much Could Ruin Sleep, Here's What to Do

Using your phone after midnight has a major negative effect on your sleep quality, a recent report shows.

New research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry on March 2 contributed to the discovery. According to CNN, more than 1,040 students between the ages of 18 and 30 at King's College London responded to science questionnaires regarding their smartphone use and sleep quality.

Results show that 39 percent of respondents are "addicted" to their phones, and those who use their phones for prolonged periods are more likely to have low sleep quality.

Why is Mobile Addiction Presenting a Danger to Sleep?

Several university students confessed to being "addicted" to smartphones using a 10-question validated scale designed to measure mobile addiction in children.

The study titled "The Association Between Smartphone Addiction and Sleep: A UK Cross-Sectional Study of Young Adults" said students who reported heavy cellphone usage also reported low sleep quality. This is consistent with previous research that has related nighttime smartphone usage to difficulties falling asleep, shorter sleep period, and daytime fatigue. That's because it's been shown that using a mobile close to bedtime delays the circadian clock, the body's automatic sleep-wake cycle.

Dr. Vsevolod Polotsky, the director of sleep basic science in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told CNN that any LED spectrum light source could depress melatonin levels even further.

How to Have a Restful Night's Sleep

You don't have to ignore sleep aids if you desperately need them. So before you reach for the tablets, Harvard listed these eight tips to help you sleep better:

1. Exercise

Going on a brisk morning stroll will not only help you lose weight. But it will also help you sleep well at night. Dr. Karen Carlson, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of Women's Health Associates at Massachusetts General Hospital, believes that exercise increases the effects of natural sleep hormones like melatonin. Exercising too much before going to bed can be relaxing. A morning exercise, according to Carlson, is perfect.

2. Bed is a place for sleeping

Do not use your bed as a place to take phone calls or respond to emails. Also, don't watch late-night television there. According to Dr. Carlson, the bed should be a place for sleeping, not for wakefulness.

3. Maintain a relaxed environment

Television isn't the only potential form of relaxation in your room. The environment often influences the consistency of your sleep. Ensure that your bedroom is as calming as possible. "A calm, dim, cool setting" is perfect, according to Dr. Carlson. "All of these causes contribute to the onset of sleep."

4. Create a sleep pattern.

This soothing ritual helped lull you to sleep when you were a kid, and your mother told you a story and tucked you into bed every night. Some bedtime routines could have a similar impact even in adulthood. "Rituals help signal the body and mind that it's time to sleep," Dr. Carlson says. A bottle of warm milk should be drunk. Soak in the shower. To unwind before bed, listen to relaxing songs.

5. Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption

If you should have a snack before bed, it does not contain wine or chocolate. Caffeine, a stimulant, is present in cocoa. Alcohol, unexpectedly, has a similar influence. "People think it makes them sleepy," Dr. Carlson says, "but it's really a stimulant that disrupts sleep at night." Avoid foods that are acidic (such as citrus fruits and juices) or salty, as this can cause heartburn.

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