Are You Having An Affair With Your Phone?

When you go to bed at night do you take your phone or other electronic device with you? All across America, millions of people are literally sleeping with their phones and electronic devices, affairs that can wreak havoc on health.

The National Sleep Foundation states that over 43% of Americans complain that they do not sleep well at night. Almost 60% report that they toss and turn, wake up and cannot get back to sleep, snore or feel terribly unrefreshed in the morning. Although there are many things that can cause these disruptions in sleep, research is now pointing a finger at electronics and one of the main culprits.

Habitual Use of Electronics

Is it truly necessary to check emails, send texts or play games on electronics while in bed? Shouldn’t we just go to sleep instead? Well, the right answer is of course, yes, we should just go to sleep, however, a large majority of Americans admit to using an electronic within an hour before bed and even while in bed.

In one study that looked at the electronic usage of over 1500 people ages 13 to 64, six out of ten people admitted to using a computer prior to bed at least a few nights a week. Half of the participants in their twenties and teens admitted to using an electronic device every night before bed.  While cell phones and computers may make our lives more productive, they could also be the underlying reason why so many people have a difficult time sleeping.

Healthy Habits

Sleep experts stress the importance of keeping the last hour before bed “electronic free,” and certainly not bringing the electronics into the bedroom. Bedrooms should be a place of rest and using electronic devices, even to read in bed can excite the mind and disrupt sleep patterns.

A healthy alternative to habitual nighttime electronic use is to spend at least fifteen minutes before bed meditating and clearing the mind. Setting aside at least seven hours a night in a cool, dark room allows the body time to heal and restore energy. Sleep deprivation impacts all parts of our life and can reduce our immune systems ability to fight off sickness and disease. Do yourself a favor and tell your phone, tablet, or computer, that the affair is over, you are ready to get some real sleep!

– The Alternative Daily

Sources:
http://www.shellypalmer.com/2011/03/poor-sleep-linked-to-electronic-usage/