Mobile phones in the bedroom: are they interfering with a healthy night’s sleep?
You may have heard that keeping your smartphone next to your bed can have unhealthy effects on your sleep. But is it really the invisible mobile phone radiation that negatively affects sleep? At CALIDA, we’re debunking the myths about mobile phones in the bedroom and clarifying when they can actually influence your sleep patterns.
5 July 2023 • 5 min reading time
Dangerous cell phones in the bedroom? Understanding the risks, protecting sleep quality.
Radiation from electronic devices really is a thing – there’s no question about it. It’s all to do with the electromagnetic fields responsible for transmitting information. Your smartphone is either connected to your mobile network or Wi-Fi. With the latter, both the mobile phone itself and the wireless router in your home emit radiation.
However, radiation exposure thresholds are now so low that they have no proven effects on health or sleep for most people, even if they are kept in the bedroom. But what do we mean by ‘most people’? People with specific hypersensitivity disorders are said to react very strongly to electromagnetic radiation from devices such as smartphones, laptops, etc. – sometimes even with pain!
So, if you are plagued by poor sleep and your router is in your bedroom or you keep your laptop and mobile phone next to your bed, banning these devices from your bedroom is definitely worth a try because you may also be electrosensitive.
Smartphone radiation has not been proven to have a negative effect on sleep. However, what has been proven to make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep is using a mobile phone just before going to bed. To be more precise, the blue light from the mobile phone screen is responsible for causing us to produce less of the sleep hormone melatonin. The artificial light signals to the body that it is not night time but rather the middle of the day. That’s why it’s harder to fall asleep.
Using your mobile phone just before going to bed can also affect you mentally. Worrying or unpleasant messages and to-do lists on the calendar for the next day create a state of stress that prevents you from sleeping. Often, the many entertaining and constant updates on social media apps are enough to cause your thoughts to spiral and keep you from getting important sleep.
Avoid screens in the evening so that your body can produce enough melatonin for the night. Image via Unsplash by Ashish Joshi.
For most of us, the evening is the only time of the day when we’re free to do whatever we please. For many, mobile phone use is the main go-to for switching off and relaxing after a busy day. You’re already aware that smartphones often don’t actually provide relaxation but rather even more input and stimuli. However, you don’t have to avoid using your mobile phone completely in the evening.
If you’re struggling to sleep, we recommend taking the last one to two hours before bed to do something other than being on your phone. To firmly establish staying away from your mobile phone in your evening routine, you can, for example, make it a rule to not use your mobile phone once you’re in bed. To make this easier, you can charge your smartphone away from your bed or even in another room overnight and have a separate alarm to wake you up in the morning.
It’s also a good idea to wash and get ready for bed before getting into bed and before your mobile phone-free time in the evening. Instead of using your mobile phone in the evening, you can now read a book, drink a soothing tea, write in a journal or meditate with the lights dimmed. These evening rituals have a calming effect, stimulate the release of melatonin and, therefore, ensure that you fall asleep more quickly and stay peacefully asleep.
In addition to a healthy evening routine, the perfect pyjamas should of course not be missing! Discover our latest nightwear:
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