If you are like most people, you probably use your phone before bed? a lot. It might be a bit tempting to do so, but there are going to be consequences. Maybe you’re playing a game, maybe you’re checking up on your social media, or maybe you’re just busy texting your significant other. No matter what the case may be, you’re really just hurting yourself, and you need to stop. Why exactly? Keep reading to find out!

It’s All About Melatonin

Our addiction to technology is having a significant impact on our health, and we know that the tech isn’t going to simply go away anytime soon. It has become an integral part of our lives whether it is for work productivity or personal amusement. While we do need to have it in our lives, there are certain things that we can do to make sure that we manage it properly and make sure that it is not hurting us. So, what exactly do smartphones have to do with the amount of sleep you’re getting? Research has shown that by staring at the light from the digital screen, you are preventing your brain from releasing the much-needed hormone, melatonin. This hormone is what lets your body know that it’s time to sleep, and without it, you are going to have a much harder time achieving and remaining in REM sleep. This isn’t just theory? Studies have shown that individuals who use their phone before sleeping have a range of negative side effects which include:

-Unsatisfactory Sleep Quality
-Increased Insomnia
-Fatigue

To put it simply, it’s not a bug, it’s a feature. The pictures emitted from the phone’s life are sending a signal to your brain that it needs to stay awake. Once this happens, the brain needs some time to adjust and switch back to ‘sleep mode’. The exact science is complicated, but you get the idea.

What You Can Do

If you happen to be one of the 71% of Americans that still use a smartphone before bed, then we have some advice for you: stop. Yes, it can be difficult to break the habit, but if you need something to do before bed, then it would be a good idea to keep a book on your nightstand, or, perhaps use a regular phone if you need to contact someone before sleeping. To put it quite simply, our bodies have evolved in a certain way and to go against our nature is simply hurting us.

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep is Important

There is nothing quite as important for an individual as getting a good night’s sleep. The amount of sleep you get, and the quality of sleep that you get will set the tone for your entire day and it can have an impact on your overall health. Now would be a great time for you to start re-evaluating your smartphone usage and perhaps unplugging at least a few hours before bed. Get rested, get some sleep, and prepare of the long day ahead.

I am an advocate for reading a good book before going to sleep for several reasons that I will share with you below.

I tend to lead a stressful work life and often need to bring work home to complete during in the evenings. This work has the impact of being front in my mind when I do go to bed. If I do not read before bed, I know that I will lie there thinking of the thing that I have not completed, and the items that I still have to finish the next day.

Other thoughts tend to keep me awake, and the frustrating thing is that I can not act on any of these thoughts. For example, those few times that I am behind on my rent, If I go to sleep without becoming engaged in a story of one type or another, I will lie there and worry about finances for an hour or maybe more. The frustrating thing is that while I can and do worry, I can’t make any money at that time of night. There is no way that I can improve my financial position, but my brain will not let the subject go until I eventually do fall asleep.

On the other hand, when I am reading a book that is of interest to me, and I am caught up mentally in the story, any worries that I may have been pushed firmly to the back of my mind. Reading after a long day does make me tired, and I reach a point in the story that makes sense, I can typically turn off the light and drift off peacefully.

If for some reason any day to day problems are still on my mind I can put them away by imagining the evens of the book I was reading and picture myself being the hero or another character and I can begin to fantasize about their actions and what they may do. I find personally that this allows me to go to sleep quite quickly. Curiously, ever get fare with any of these fantasies. After a few minutes, I am asleep.

While this works for me, I am not sure if it will work for ece==very one. I do believe that you actually need to enjoy reading and that you need to be someone that can drift away into a story and become i=engrossed in the written activities on a page by page basis, particularly those excellent books that you don’t actually want to have to put down, but you know that you have to.

In short, becoming immersed in reading a book will take your mind off of the day to day worries and allow you to sleep quicker and better. That said, if you are not tired, or if you are not immersed in the story in front of you then reading will do nothing to assist you to fall asleep. If you are having problems sleeping, ask a friend or co-worker if they know of a good book that would be of interest to you and see how reading a book before going to sleep will assist you.