It sure is difficult to resist that ping when you’re in bed and have nothing to do! Even if it’s difficult to not check your phone, checking your smartphone, however, is a terrible, terrible idea. It tricks your mind into evading sleep successfully and can stretch those decided 5 minutes into some mad long-hours.
Now, if you didn’t know, smartphone screens emit bright blue light. In case you were wondering how your smartphones are readable even at the sunniest times of the day, you have bright blue lights to thank.
As it turns out, at night, your brain gets confused by the blue light that mimics the brightness of the sun. While I’m awe-struck at this mimicking talent, because of this very thing, the brain stops producing melatonin, a hormone that triggers sleep.
No wonder smartphone makes it so difficult for us to fall asleep. Here’s what exactly happens to your body if you check your phone at night:
1. Less sleep impairs your memory the next day.
Almost all of us have experienced a heavy head due to lack of sleep. If you’re anything like me and guard your memory well, you need to put yourself through 6-8 hours of sleep and let your active neurons rest. Daily.
2. Poor sleep leaves you distracted and makes it harder for you to learn new things.
Lack of sleep, apart from making us feel extremely tired, also disrupts with our hormones and normal body functions. Your cognitive abilities go for a toss, and well, we aren’t quite ready to sacrifice that, are we?
3. Over the long term, lack of sleep builds neurotoxin up in the body and makes it even more difficult to get a good sleep.
So, sleep supports the glial cells that are important when it comes to cleaning up the neurotoxins, that build up in our brains throughout the day. If we don’t get enough sleep, these glial cells fail to perform their jobs. Result? More neurotoxins.
4. People whose melatonin levels are low are more prone to depression.
Sleep less, mess with your sleep schedule, deprive yourself of melatonin, fall prey to depression. This is the worst thing ever and yet, we fall prey to it unknowingly.
5. It increases the risk of obesity.
While smartphone lights mess with melatonin, it also disrupts hormones that control hunger, potentially increasing the risk of obesity. Along with diet and exercise, don’t forget to pay attention to your sleep.
6. There is also an increased risk of breast and prostate cancers.
There’s a connection between light that’s emitted from your phone and the sleep it successfully disrupts + an increased risk of breast + prostate cancer. Ditch that smartphone and don’t take a risk!
7. The blue light might damage our vision by harming the retina over time.
Constant use of this blue light may be a terrible idea, your retina will agree!
8. It might also lead to cataract.
Even if it is not confirmed, and studies are still investigating it, the blue light from your smartphone could be the cause behind your (future) cataract.