{"id":3519,"date":"2023-05-10T19:29:31","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T12:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/is-our-sleep-affected-by-smartphones\/"},"modified":"2023-05-10T19:29:31","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T12:29:31","slug":"is-our-sleep-affected-by-smartphones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=3519","title":{"rendered":"Is Our Sleep Affected by Smartphones?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"p1\">What are the effects of cell phone radiation on sleep quantity and quality?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cSleep is crucial to the development of physically and psychologically healthy children,\u201d but a number of factors have been <span class=\"s1\">identified<\/span> as interfering with sufficient sleep, including the use of electronic media devices. These days, most children and nearly all adolescents have at least one such device \u201cin their sleep environment, with most used near bedtime.\u201d Such use is associated with \u201cinadequate sleep quantity, poor sleep quality, with excessive daytime sleepiness.\u201d There are calls to minimize access to these devices at bedtime, but \u201cwhich <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW84076394 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/jsr.12212\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW84076394 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW84076394 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">comes<\/span><\/span><\/a> first, media use or sleep problem?\u201d Are the kids and teens not sleeping because they\u2019re on their phone, or are they on their phone because they can\u2019t sleep? I discuss this in my video <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-do-mobile-phones-affect-sleep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Friday Favorites:<\/strong> <b>Do Mobile Phones Affect Sleep?<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cHigher media use has been consistently <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW21732699 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24552437\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW21732699 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW21732699 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">associated<\/span><\/span><\/a> with more irregular sleep patterns, shorter sleep duration, as well as more sleep problems.\u201d Are we pushing back our bedtime because we\u2019re so caught up in whatever we\u2019re reading, writing, watching, or playing, or does using our devices key us up so we have trouble falling asleep? In college-aged students, it may be more of the reverse\u2014not sleeping leading to pulling out their screens rather than just staring at the ceiling. In early childhood, though, it may be a bit of both. How might screen time interfere with sleep?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Use of smartphones and tablets may not just <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW140913785 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/27802500\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW140913785 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW140913785 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">push<\/span><\/span><\/a> back bedtimes and overstimulate us. The \u201clight emitted from devices affects circadian timing\u201d by <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW140913785 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26085126\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW140913785 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW140913785 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">interfering<\/span><\/span><\/a> with the production of melatonin, the sleepiness hormone that starts ramping up as soon as the sun goes down. When we put a screen in front of our face, the excess light at night may confuse our brain. Of course, if you\u2019re checking email with the lights on, then you\u2019re already overexposed and the little bit of extra light from the screen may not make much difference. But, if you\u2019re in the dark and need to send off that final message, then adjusting the light settings on your screen to be more yellow may help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">What about the cell phone radiation? Might leaving your phone on the nightstand somehow <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW164228893 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28426166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW164228893 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW164228893 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">affect<\/span><\/span><\/a> your sleep? There\u2019s an enzyme called \u00df-trace protein that <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW164228893 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/20596612\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW164228893 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW164228893 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">makes<\/span><\/span><\/a> a sleep-promoting neurohormone in the brain, and researchers found that those with greater long-term exposure to cell phones or cordless phones tended to have lower levels of this enzyme in their bloodstream. So, the thinking is that the \u201cemissions from wireless phones affect the release of \u00df-trace protein in the brain,\u201d especially from the tissues right up under the skull, closest to where we typically hold the phone. So, there is a possible mechanism if cell phones do indeed affect sleep, but you simply don\u2019t know until you put to the test.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Study participants were <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW134178520 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17548154\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW134178520 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW134178520 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">exposed<\/span><\/span><\/a> to 30 minutes of a cell phone in talk, listen, standby, or off modes. All of the lights and speakers were disabled, and insulation was used to prevent them from feeling if the device was heating up, so the participants didn\u2019t know which group they were in. After the exposure, researchers took away the phones, shut off the lights, and told participants to close their eyes and try to fall asleep. As you can see<span class=\"notion-enable-hover\" data-token-index=\"0\"> in the graph below and <\/span>at 2:59 in my <strong><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW134178520 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/do-mobile-phones-affect-sleep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun MacChromeBold SCXW134178520 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW134178520 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">video<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong>, those <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW134178520 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17548154\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW134178520 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW134178520 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">exposed<\/span><\/span><\/a> to the phone when it was off or in listen or standby mode fell asleep within about 20 to 30 minutes, but after being exposed to the same phone in talk mode, it took closer to 50 minutes on average to fall asleep.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-93045\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2-59-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The reason for the significant difference between talking and listening might be because the typical SAR value\u2014that is, the specific absorption rate of how much cell phone energy your body absorbs\u2014is about nine times higher when you\u2019re talking than when you\u2019re just listening to someone else talk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">When you do finally get to sleep, though, what are the effects of cell phone exposure on sleep quality? There have <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW138331439 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26618505\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW138331439 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138331439 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">been<\/span><\/span><\/a> about 20 studies, and they\u2019re split about half and half in terms of whether cell phone exposure affected sleep parameters\u2014and not all in a negative way. It reminds me of the brain function data. (See <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/do-mobile-phones-affect-brain-function\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Do Mobile Phones Affect Brain Function?<\/b><\/a> for more on this.) Yes, an increase in the excitability in our brain cortex, the outer layer of our brain, in response to exposure to cell phone emissions might <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW138331439 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28426166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW138331439 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138331439 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">disrupt<\/span><\/span><\/a> sleep, but that increased excitability may also mean faster reaction times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Similarly, in affected study subjects, those <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW19193990 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26618505\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW19193990 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19193990 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">exposed<\/span><\/span><\/a> to an active cell phone showed significantly more R sleep. But R stands for REM, so participants got about 4 percent more potential dream time, which isn\u2019t not necessarily a bad thing.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are the effects of cell phone radiation on sleep quantity and quality? \u201cSleep is crucial to the development of physically and psychologically healthy children,\u201d but a number of factors have been identified as interfering with sufficient sleep, including the use of electronic media devices. These days, most children and nearly all adolescents have at &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}