Everyone keeps hammering it home. You hear it everywhere: “The light from your phone is ruinous for your sleep!” “If you want to sleep well, you’d better be careful with that smartphone!” And I could go on. Ultimately, it all boils down to the same thing: the blue light from your smartphone has a negative effect on your night’s rest and, consequently, on how "fresh as a daisy" you feel when you step out of bed in the morning. But how significant is this effect, really?
Sleep Pressure vs. Tension
To determine this, it’s helpful to first go back to how you fall asleep and what is required for it. Falling asleep is all about your "sleep pressure." Sleep pressure is what makes it impossible to keep your eyes open at the end of the day. The longer you stay out of bed, the higher your sleep pressure becomes. On the flip side of sleep pressure is tension. With enough sleep pressure, you fall asleep; tension, on the other hand, makes you more alert and awake. You fall asleep less easily and sleep more lightly. If you’d like to dive deeper into this, read our blog about the ‘necessity’ of 8 hours of sleep.
What is the influence of blue light on your sleep?
Now, about that blue light. The bright light from the screens of devices like your smartphone can definitely be detrimental to the quality of your sleep. This light suppresses the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that plays a key role in our body's sleep-wake rhythm. The more melatonin we have, the sleepier we become. In the absence of melatonin, it’s safe to say you become less sleepy and find it harder to drift off.
The busier your brain, the worse you sleep
Another cause for poor sleep or difficulty falling asleep is mental activity. Think about it: if you spend time scrolling through your timeline or watching the last half-hour of your Netflix series in bed, you aren’t immediately ‘settled’ and ready for the night. No, often you still need to chat about the day or complete your evening ritual before you notice sleepiness starting to dawn.
Knowing what helps your sleep
That’s why we naturally advocate for putting your phone away before you go to sleep. But even more so, we advocate for sleep awareness. If you feel restless after pulling your phone out for "just a second," you might make a different choice next time one that helps you sleep better. Or, you might choose to pick up that book that has been gathering dust on your nightstand for a while.
Just between you and me
And I say that Esther without wanting to sound preachy, because I understand the pull of a smartphone all too well! I often find myself scrolling through my timeline, answering one last text or email, or scouring marketplaces for whatever I think I need at that moment.
I know full well it’s not good for me, yet I still choose to do it. I’ve gone through a world of excuses, but eventually, the truth comes out. My reaction is usually a quasi-indifferent and typically "caught-red-handed" shrug: “So what?” Then I start giggling because I am painfully aware of what I’m doing. Until last week. Suddenly, there was a moment where I thought: if I don't start now, I never will. So, here and now, I can say: I’m doing it. For better or worse. My phone stays downstairs... usually.
