I have always had my phone in bed before I sleep. Either watching a comedy series, watching some funny YouTube videos or reading a funny text – memes. And I have always had a good excuse for it – laughing makes me relax and so I sleep better. Well it does, except on so many times that I have to extend sleep time by one hour or more, kept waking up in the middle of the night to see the end of that episode, sleep is never really full when I have my phone with me in bed.
I am so glad that I have finally had to accept the effects that sleep has on my sleeping routine:
It keeps me alert instead of asleep.
I wake up tired because I did not actually sleep fully.
It makes me sleep late, so I may wake up late, yet I am an early person. So the whole day doesn’t feel right cause I woke up so late.
Science explains the effect of having your phone in bed just before sleep.
How people explain the science behind having your phone in bed while you sleep is scary. From radiation causing cancer to possible fire at night when your phone is connected to the charger near your bed. These stories are scary but a little fear is great for positive change.
Well, the direct scientific link of how phones affect sleep include;
Blue light prevents the production of melatonin which is the hormone that regulates sleep and wake cycle( circadian rhythm). That is why it is so hard to fall asleep and wake up the next day.
Sleep is psychologically disturbed - this happens when you get a call, a text or a social media notification. Due to FOMO (fear of missing out), you wake up, even after you had decided to sleep, to check your phone. Suddenly, two hours have passed and you are still not back to sleeping.
Another psychological effect is when you encounter something that affects your emotions. I remember one time when I was scrolling through WhatsApp before going to sleep. I came across friends' WhatsApp statuses and they were posting “Rest In Peace” alongside the picture of a person I knew so well and didn't expect their death to come so soon. You can imagine how emotionally disturbed I was and could not go back to sleep.
How disturbed will you be when you are going to sleep but find that your boyfriend/girlfriend is cheating on you through some texts you found on their phone while you were scrolling through it before bed? Ugly, but a great illustration of why you should just leave phones for when you are fully awake.
I have had to make some changes that ensures that I don't use my phone in bed. They include;
Finding time to watch my movies, videos and series during the day.
Putting my phone on silent before going to sleep. All silent except for the alarm that will remind me it's time to wake up.
Using my sleep time to charge my phone. I am glad I found this as a solution. In the past, I would really struggle with my phone always being uncharged, I would even use it while it is charging. Which is harmful to the phone's lifetime.
In conclusion, I would like to say how sweet sleep is when it is undisturbed. If you have not tried sleeping without your phone in bed, you should try it.