Trouble Sleeping? Turn Off Your Gadgets!

If you’re a social media junkie, that hour before bed signals quality time with a smartphone or laptop, or both. You indulge in one last scan of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and when  finished maybe you’ll open your laptop and unwind with you favorite episode of “The Office”.

If this bedtime behavior sounds familiar—and it probably does, as 95 percent of people regularly browse the web, text, or watch TV in the hour before bed—then you already know how it can delay your eventual shut-eye. A Mashable article confirmed that late-night gadget use can be disruptive to your sleep cycle. Mashable includes a colorful infographic from Online Psychology Degree, that incorporates some statistics about phone use and how exactly that innocuous electronic display is preventing proper shut-eye.

• 90 percent of 18-29-year-olds say they sleep with their phone in or right next to the bed.

• 1 in 2 say if they wake in the middle of the night for no reason, they’ll check their phone right away.

• A two-hour exposure to light from electronic displays suppresses melatonin by about 22 percent.

So, tonight as you await the sandman, stay focused on sleep and away from Siri. (Adapted by Jessy Pearl)

Source: readersdigest.com