Does Technology really interrupt my Sleep? Lets see!
When it comes to technology it seems like people cant do without it in this modern day. Even though it can be crucial to your business life constantly keeping up with phone calls, social media, emails etc. but it comes a point where it can be too much.
Technology will affect your sleep more than you think.
Here is why:
1. Technology will keep your Brain alert and different emotions running through your mind.. You might think its not bad to check a few emails prior to bed, look at social media with different emotions running through your mind whilst looking at different pages not thinking about the information your putting into your mind prior to sleep. It could be an excitable feeling keeping you awake, a negative emotion from something you saw to fall into a negative sleep pattern or simply just an email that causes some stress keeping you wired and not able to wind down.
2. Technology will signal to the Brain its not bed time and can suppress your sleep inducing hormone Melatonin affecting your body clock (circadian rhythm). The thing is we try keep ourselves awake whether it’s for 15min or hours longer only to still want to get up early to start the day. This then causes not only your body clock to be out of balance but your cortisol is through the roof. People wonder why there bodies are so tired and stressed. It’s the case of needing some wind down time regardless of the reasons you tell yourself why you don’t have time. There is always 10-20 minutes to sit and breath whilst doing a little meditating. It’s not time that is the real issue. It’s the importance where people place their priorities.
3. They wake you up. Have you ever been waken up by a phone ringing, a text, or beep of an email coming through? Its staggering to think that over 70% of children alone sleep with an electronic device that is one in their bedroom at night.
Food for thought:
Also a little insight of a recent study done on university students was a steady incline of people with Anxiety. These tests were performed as to why and results were shown that when someone is not in direct contact with their phone, their battery is running out with no charger can bring on these panic attacks.
So even though a large problem is the poor sleep phones and technology in general can cause another factor is the raise in Anxiety with Phones.
The Anxious feeling can then lead you into a viscous cycle causing you to keep the phone close by your bedside to check when you awaken at night.
A good rule of thumb if your wanting to lower stress levels is give yourself 30 minutes of wind down time prior to bed. The more you give your body time to relax and unwind from just doing a little meditation or reading a book gets your mind off the bright lights from technology that do cause the rise in cortisol and suppresses Melatonin production.