There’s nothing like curling up with a good book in bed to relax before dozing off to sleep. And there’s nothing like reading your favorites books on your tablet or smartphone device.
But a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that your tablet and other devices might be keeping you up at night — and making you sleepy the next morning.
The study points to the blue light emitted by mobile devices as the guilty culprit. This short wavelength light can disrupt circadian rhythms, suppress levels of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, reduce the amount and delay the timing of REM sleep, and reduce alertness the following morning.
An author from the study was quoted in the The Wall Street Journal saying, “Many people read things to help them fall asleep. They probably don’t realize that this technology is actually making them less likely to feel sleepy.”
But fear not, can still keep reading as a part of you bedtime ritual, you can read a book – a traditional book – you know, those things made of paper. For the digital junkie who can’t let go of their tablet habit there may be a loophole with the original Kindle, specifically the one with no back-lighting.
Reading in bed is still a good way to wind-down, but you should use traditional printed materials, such as a bound book, printed magazine. or newspaper (yes, they still exist).
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