How Technology Messes with Your Sleep and How to Avoid it

We are going to talk about the effects of technology on our sleep. We have many devices designed for us, but they can also be used against you if you don’t know what you’re doing. So we need to understand this stuff so we can make better decisions when using these things and don’t let the technology messes with your sleep.

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What is Technology?

Technology is anything from computers to cell phones to tablets to smartwatches to fitness trackers to headphones to speakers to TVs to cameras to drones to robots to cars to… well, basically everything! It’s all around us. And as long as there has been electricity in existence, people have had access to some form of technology. But now, more than ever before, we have an abundance of different types of technologies available at our fingertips. The problem is not having them, knowing which ones work best for us, and understanding their potential side-effects.

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The Effects Of Technology On Sleep

So let me start by saying that most of the time, technology doesn’t affect my sleep. However, sometimes it does. There are many reasons how technology messes with your sleep. Some of those reasons include:

1. Too Much Light Exposure During the Day

This causes melatonin levels to drop too low, causing insomnia or other issues like headaches, fatigue, etc.

2. Noise Pollution

When we use electronics near bedtime, it disrupts our circadian rhythm. Our body clock controls our internal biological processes such as sleeping patterns, hormone production, metabolism, mood, appetite, energy level, alertness, memory, immune system function, blood pressure, heart rate, breathing pattern, temperature regulation, digestion, menstrual cycle, fertility, sex drive, stress response, muscle tone, pain sensitivity, and even brain activity. All of these functions happen based on our circadian rhythms. If we aren’t exposed to enough natural sunlight throughout the day, our bodies will try to compensate by producing less melatonin. That means we won’t get good quality restful sleep because our brains think it’s daytime instead of nighttime.

3. Distraction

We are guilty of being one of those people who constantly check social media while trying to fall asleep. Or maybe I feel bad about myself after reading someone else’s post online. Either way, it makes falling asleep difficult. You may find yourself thinking about something negative that happened earlier today or last night. Maybe you were talking to someone and got distracted by a text message. Whatever the case might be, distraction keeps us awake longer.

Apart from all the above distractions, what lets you sleep peacefully is a good mattress. The things that constitute a good bed, along with a good mattress, are a pillow and a duvet. Duvet is a small blanket like a soft bag stuffed with down, feathers, and cotton silk. A duvet cover is a fabric pouch that usually slips over the duvet and can be zipped or buttoned to form a protective case.

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4. Electronics Keep Us Up Late into the Evening

Most of us turn out the lights once we go to bed. But electronic gadgets still emit blue light. Blue light suppresses the release of serotonin. Serotonin helps regulate REM sleep cycles. As soon as we stop looking at screens, our eyes naturally begin releasing more serotonin. We also tend to stay awake later if we don’t look at any devices.

5. Electronic Devices Keep Us Awake At Night

Even though they say “night mode” on smartphones, laptops, iPods, Kindles, etc., they do nothing but cause us to wake up every hour or two. Why? Because they activate the same part of the brain that wakes us up during the day. They trick our minds into believing that it’s morning again.

6. Social Media Makes Me Feel Lonely & Depressed

According to research conducted by Dr. David Greenfield, author of “Social Network Addiction,” Facebook users spend over half of their waking hours interacting with friends through social networks. He found that people who spent more time on social networking sites reported feeling lonely and depressed. He says that spending more than three hours per week on social network sites was linked to depression.

Despite all these things that tend to keep you awake at night, one thing that induces your sleep is essential oils. But you must handle essential oils with care as you might have an allergic reaction to some essential oils. And ingesting any essential oil is harmful to health.

7. Smartphones Make You Fatigued

A study that is published in the journal PLOS One revealed that smartphone owners experienced significantly lower physical health levels than non-smartphone owners. Researchers believe that constant usage of smartphones leads to decreased exercise habits, increased sedentary behavior, and poor diet choices.

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How to Sleep Better

Here are some choices that how you don’t let the technology messes with your sleep and let you sleep better.

• To sleep properly at night, you can dim the light of your screen
• Using some free software for PCs and laptops which decreases the blue light from the screen
• Some apps are can also be used to reduce the blue light that is emitted from the screen
• Also, restricting the use of some stimulating apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter before sleeping
• You can also set up an alarm about when you would need to close down all your functional apps and then go down to sleep. Apps like Facebook, Instagram & Twitter could be very addictive, and you would never know where you spend all your time. Therefore an alarm system would help you in such a crisis
• Sometimes try to switch your phone off and be off-grid for some time to retain inner peace; a little time away from technology helps you relax and sleep better.

You may use all these processes together or any one of these processes or a combination of these processes to retain control over your sleep. You are the master of your sleep, and nobody else can control the quality of sleep that you get.

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Conclusion

How technology messes with your sleep do not have to be an issue anymore. If you want to enjoy a good night’s sleep, turn off your computer and put it away for the night. Let your body and mind relax for the night and wake up refreshed.