Nowadays, most of our time is spent in front of phone, laptop and TV screens. Our sleep is being badly affected by this. Most of the people are not able to get deep and good sleep at night. The habit of looking at screens just before sleeping has become the biggest enemy of sleep. Health experts are warning that if this habit is not given up, many mental and physical diseases can occur. The question is how to reduce screen time and how long before sleeping should these devices be turned off? Let us understand in detail how blue light is ruining our sleep and what should be done to control it.
The biggest harm of watching phone, laptop or TV just before sleeping is due to blue light. This blue light signals our brain that it is daytime. As a result, the production of melatonin hormone stops in the body, which is necessary for good sleep. Due to this, there is delay in falling asleep, frequent sleep breaks and feeling tired after waking up in the morning. If this habit continues for a long time, stress, irritability, memory loss and many other health problems start increasing.
Health experts recommend that all screens should be turned off at least an hour before sleeping. This rule may seem a bit strict, but adopting it improves the quality of sleep tremendously.
For good sleep, the most important thing is to keep your sleeping time fixed. For example, if you decide to sleep at 10 pm, then turn off all screens by 9 pm. When there is no fixed bedtime, it becomes very difficult to control screen time.
Most people sleep with their phone near the bed or under the pillow. Due to this, one gets into the habit of checking the screen again and again when the notification comes. It is better to keep the phone at least 2-3 meters away from the bed. Many studies have found that sleeping with the phone near the bed is very harmful for health.
Do not leave the screen idle for an hour after turning it off. Instead, create a relaxing night routine. Activities like reading a book, doing light meditation, talking to family, doing skincare or listening to light music help in falling asleep.
If there is any important work at night, then turn on the night mode or blue light filter of the phone. Also, use light yellow or warm lighting in the room instead of bright white light. This causes less pressure on the eyes and the body gradually prepares for sleep.
Suddenly switching off the screen for an hour may seem difficult. Therefore, start by switching off the screen half an hour before. Then gradually increase the time. These small habits will improve both your sleep and health in the long run.
