Put the Phone Away to Protect Your Sleep

By Donna Stark

There are so many things that we may long for when needing a little bit of comfort in our lives. A hug from a loved one when we are feeling down. A hot cup of tea on a cold winter night. A cell phone right next to the bed when it is time to sleep. Wait ... what? A cell phone? Well, for some people, yes. Nothing is as comforting as having their phone right next to their head during the night, but for all the positive reasons to sleep with that little device, there are plenty of negative reasons not to. 

Distracted Sleep

In addition to being responsible for a lot of the distracted driving found on the streets, cell phones are also the cause for much of the distracted sleeping found in bedrooms all across the nation. But so many people refuse to go to bed without it. They use their phones to play soothing rain sounds, they feel comfort knowing that anyone can reach them at any time of the night, and they count on their phone's alarms to wake them up in the morning. Those things are all well and good, but if you are waking up and struggling to get through your day, they may not be as good as you think. Take a look at how phones can disrupt the quality of your rest and the day ahead of you.

• Checking your phone can engage and stimulate the brain or can increase stress and anxiety levels which may make it difficult to relax and fall asleep
• The blue light from your phone can suppress the production of melatonin
• The notification sounds from text messages, emails, calls, or calendar reminders can interrupt your rest
• Even if your phone is turned off, the light that comes on when you get a notification can still penetrate your eyelids and disrupt your sleep

Creating Better Habits

Putting your phone away about an hour before you go to bed can help you get back on track in regards to your sleep, but that can certainly be a hard habit to break, can't it? So start off slowly if you have to and replace your phone usage with other, non-screen activities like reading or writing in a journal. And if you really do need those raindrops to fall asleep, then take the necessary steps to keep your phone at a distance. Place it across the room, turn all sounds and vibrations off, and keep it face down so the light doesn't wake you up. When it comes to things like this, it's all about compromise. But once you find what works best, you will be sure to notice a big difference in the quality of your sleep!

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Brookfield, Wis.