Today, face-to-face interactions are increasingly being replaced by digital tools. Long working hours, or long study hours in front of a digital screen, using social media, or playing your favourite games for long hours leads to overexposure to blue light.
Today’s lifestyle often includes internet overuse problem or internet addiction and since lockdown people spend more time online than ever before.
As all of us are struggling keeping with our schedule since lockdown. Today when we all are at home following social distancing, addiction to social networking, games, texting, and messaging can extend to the point where virtual engagements and presence become more important than real-life.
So, does your phone affecting your sleep?
During the day, phone screen lights are great because they keep us awake and bad at night because they often impede sleep. The blue light from your smartphone can make your eyes fatigued, dry, or even sleeplessness. The ill-effects of blue light can be up to an alarming level.
Light is the enemy of sleep!
Good sleep is must for sound #MentalHealth
If you are having #insomnia and trouble sleeping, try out these simple tips while you are #AtHome #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalhealthduringCovid19 #StayPositive_StaySafe #StayAtHome#CoronaOutbreak pic.twitter.com/MpTyaS2RwL— NDMA India | राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रबंधन प्राधिकरण 🇮🇳 (@ndmaindia) April 17, 2020
When we look at our screens before bed, the blue light suppresses melatonin production and tricks our brains into thinking it is still daytime. The effects of this disruption can be likened to jet-lag: your sleep cycle is disrupted, and you find it difficult to fall and stay asleep at your usual times, and you may find yourself waking up more frequently at night.
Just a few extra minutes of scrolling Facebook, or Instagram or viewing one more episode of your web series end up carrying us away which may lead to sleep deprivation, restlessness and later symptoms of insomnia.
Excessive smartphone at night not only disrupt your sleep, which can have a serious impact on your overall mental health. While it may seem that losing yourself online but slowly it promotes feelings of loneliness and depression make you feel even worse.
- Turn devices off and leave them in another room overnight to charge or put them at ‘Do not disturb mode’ at night. Instead of reading eBooks on your phone or tablet at night, pick up a book. You’ll not only sleep better but research shows you’ll also remember more of what you’ve read.
- Eliminating blue-light exposure an hour before bed will lower the risk of disrupted sleep. It will give your brain a chance to power time and register that it’s getting close to bedtime.
- Another smartphone feature to take advantage of is “Nighttime Mode.” This adjusts your screen display to a warmer, less blue light.
- In case you’re having trouble changing your habits of using social media at night, maybe you should consider downloading app restrictions apps to avoid pop-up notification at night.
- There are really very great options to spend your time before bed, one can spend time reading a book, listening music on the radio, or try to write postcards or letters for your friends and post them or instead click a photo next morning and send it to them virtually.
Setting healthy goals will surely help you kickstart your new healthy lifestyle.
