Mobile Phone Use: Research Suggests Sleeping Next to Your Gadget Is Unhealthy

A recently published study shows that about half or 48 percent of its respondents are sleeping with their phones right next to them during the night.

Among those who reported not sleeping next to their mobile phones still said that they're leaving their phone on a nightstand near or beside their bed, a report from the website, Tech Like This specified.

The bad news about this practice is that neither of the two is good for the health. Whether one is an adult or an adolescent, there's a lot of research to back not having the phone anywhere near the bed.

There are some peer-reviewed studies people can consider. For those experiencing difficulties falling asleep, suffering from insomnia, or cannot stay awake during the day, solid data suggests that phones may be the main reason.

Reduced Sleep Quantity and Quality

A systematic review of 20 studies demonstrates that there is strong and constant evidence that electronic device, particularly mobile phone use and access during bedtime, can be linked to reduced quality and quantity of sleep, as well as increased sleepiness during daytime.

Meaning, if the phone is within arm's reach of the bed, one is more likely to sleep less deeply and look for shorter periods.

This affects how well one can think and function during the day. To be clear, such results take place even if the participants did not use their mobile phones in bed. Even a cellphone's presence in the bedroom can increase the probability of adverse sleep outcomes.

Sleep is essential to both the physical and mental, and especially to the biopsychosocial development of children.

Sleep and Mobile Phone Use

As indicated in a Globe NewsWire report, the effect of mobile media and portable devices on sleep quality is alarming.

A lot of people find that their smartphone is the first thing they open when getting up in the morning and the last thing before going to bed at night.

Even though it is difficult to break this habitual pattern, it is detrimental to sleep hygiene as well as physical and mental health.

Furthermore, it is dangerous to sleep hygiene to continue using the smartphone when asleep, then checking them each morning.

Phone Settings Before Going to Bed

Such concerns were echoed by firms who have developed certain settings for mobile phones that can be used at night.

Nonetheless, a study has shown that the iPhone Night Shift mode of Apple did nothing to help enhance the quality of sleep of over 160 participants.

In the end, a sleep with Night Shift disabled resulted in improved quality than if the phone is not in use.

Given such findings, there is not much reason to think that equivalent Android features like the Bedtime Mode of Samsung would fair any better. It takes only a month for the adverse effects to be reversed and for one can improve sleep quality.

'Digital Wellbeing'

To get the seep back on track, it only takes four weeks, to be exact, to limit the use of a phone before going to bed. The body's health is dependent on sleep habits. A lot can be done to avoid the temptation of using a mobile phone before going to bed.

Digital Wellbeing features, with specifications described in a TechCrunch report, can be used to track the number of hours one is spending on his smartphone.

He can set the daily limits for certain apps to alert him when he has exceeded the time he wants to spend using the gadget.

Related report about sleeping next to a mobile phone is shown on Science Insider's YouTube video below:

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