Using your smartphone before bedtime – what science has to say.

Smartphone are the best partners we have, they are the ultimate boredom busters and are quick means of getting information on virtually anything. More than that, they have become our bedtime buddies. In a nutshell, they make our lives a little less depressing – and a lot more entertaining. According to a recent study, nearly 71 percent of smartphone users keep their devices close when sleeping, 13 percent prefer to keep their smartphone on their bed, while 3 percent prefer to hold their smartphone in their hands while sleeping!

One would wonder are we unintentionally harming ourselves. What are the possible side-effects or negative psychological implications?  According to scientist, using smartphone before bedtime could lead to insomnia and other sleep problems, as staring at a bright screen before bedtime can change the chemistry in our brains. Nearly all smartphones give off blue light, which automatically triggers our brain to think its daytime – in turn gearing our body up for wakefulness – the brain basically directs our body to stop producing melatonin, a sleep hormone.

However, some scientists think it is not as simple as that. To see if smartphone actually played a role in getting a good night’s sleep, a study was conducted between people who live in the industrial world and those who live in the jungle (with no artificial light or technology of any kind). Both groups were fitted with sleep recording devices. What the study revealed was that the primitive group – residing in the jungle without any technology – slept on average 6.5 hours a day, while those living in industrial world slept on average of 7.5 hours a day.  Accordingly, this study proved – to some extend – that smartphones have little to do with how much sleep we get.

However, this study was only a small part of the debate on the negative effects of smartphones, there are many other factors that can affect a person’s sleep cycle. For once, it could be the fact that when we go to sleep, we don’t have to worry about predators coming into our huts to eats, nor other threats in the jungle. All we have to worry about is why your friends haven’t liked your new facebook status update.

In all, we shouldn’t entirely blame our smartphones for losing sleep. They may be part of a larger problem – but nonetheless, they are somewhat invasive. Therefore, it’s always healthier to keep a balance between technology and personal well being.