CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Our brains are hard-wired to stay awake during daylight hours and fall asleep when it gets dark at night.
That’s why screen time – whether it’s a TV, a phone or computer – can affect your sleep-wake cycle.
The National Sleep Foundation reports most Americans are using screens right before they go to bed.
KCRG-TV9 spoke with the NSF’s environmental fellow Dr. Natalie Dautovich about why that can make you restless and unable to fall asleep.
“What we do know is that blue light makes up a big part of sunlight and outdoor bright light. And we know that bright light is equally crucial for our sleep. It’s just that we want to get that bright light exposure during the daytime and even front loaded at the start of the day. That helps to signal to that clock in our brain that it’s time to feel alert and awake. And then we want to try to minimize the bright light exposure, including the blue light,” said Dr. Dautovich.
She says the concern is that blue light can signal to the brain to stop releasing melatonin and melatonin is an important hormone for us to feel sleepy, which is important for sleep onset, of course.
Beyond just general screen use, she says it’s really the content of the screens versus the blue light itself.
“As we’re trying to be relaxed and fall asleep, of course we need to feel physically relaxed and that was the concern about the blue light being activating, but also we need to feel cognitively and emotionally relaxed. And so with the screen content, there’s two concerns. One, just by viewing information, it’s sometimes hard to turn it off. So, there’s a concern that it could cut time wise into our very important opportunity for sleep at night, but also concern that the content can be too stimulating,” said Dr. Dautovich.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that in order to be your best slept self, getting exposure to bright light early in the day is helpful, and then also leaving time for that wind down period so that we recognize I want to protect the sleep period as much as I can, and that might require logging off, doing something relaxing or an alternative to screen use right before bed.
Click HERE for more information from the National Sleep Foundation.
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