What are the harms of sleeping near our smartphones?

 

Chances are your smartphone lies next to you or even under your pillow every night when you go to sleep, like your trusted guarding companion simply because calls, texts, and emails are easy to answer at a moment's notice, even during the wee hours of the night. Isn't that the best part of the technology? Hey, it's not that simple. You probably don't even realize how much your smartphone usage habits affect your sleep and brain health. What may seem like a harmless habit to you is to jump into bed and immediately unlock your phone, without caring that this daily habit has a significant impact on your general health.

 

The mobile phone emits radiation that may negatively affect your health, especially if it is close to your head. That is, using an electronic device before bed not only makes it more difficult to fall asleep but also affects how sleepy you feel and your alertness the next day. Radiation and light from devices disrupt normal sleep schedules. This leads to all kinds of health problems. Photoreceptors in our retinas sense light and dark, which sends a signal to our brain about the state of the outside world and aligns our circadian rhythms with the cycle of life. This light and dark signal helps us to be alert in the morning and to be able to fall asleep at the appropriate time at night.

 

So, what really happens when you sleep near electronic devices?

 

1- Disruption of the biological clock

 

due to radiation from the mobile phone; The biological clock located in the lower part of the skull at the meeting point of the optic nerves, which in turn regulates sleep time, schedules, body temperature, immunity, and hormones, negatively affects your body. This imbalance affects not only your overall health but also your mental health, as a disruption of the circadian clock can increase your risk of developing anxiety and depression. In short, night becomes day and day becomes night when you sleep next to your phone.

 

2- High brain temperature

 

When you keep your mobile phone near you or under your pillow while you sleep, your brain temperature will rise due to the absorption of electromagnetic radiation. And most of the time we leave the Internet on our phones while sleeping without care. So we recommend turning on Airplane mode if you want to put your phone next to you while you sleep, thus reducing radiation to your brain.

 

3- Reducing the secretion of the sleep hormone

 

Melatonin or the “sleep hormone” is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which in turn helps you relax and fall asleep. As its deficiency causes several diseases, including; Diabetes, obesity, cancers, and eye diseases, which means that its deficiency affects negatively. Therefore, for the sake of your health, you should beware of the blue light emitted from electronic screens, because it reduces the secretion of the sleep hormone and thus causes a major imbalance in your body.

 

4- Feeling upset and anxious

 

Phone notifications, ringing, and constant vibration prevent you from relaxing and resting after a long and tiring day and make your sleep sporadic and irregular. This negatively affects your health and makes you tense and anxious all the time, which leads to insomnia and thus weakens your immunity to make you more vulnerable to viruses and infections, in addition to waking you up all night. This is what leads you the next day to not be able to focus in the face of the pressures of your life, work, or studies.

 

5- Stay alert

 

The blue light emitted by your mobile phone constantly alerts you and thus keeps you awake, so we recommend that you use the night mode to reduce blue light and thus protect your eyes and get rid of insomnia. It is better to read a book under the lamp than on your phone before bed. This is a good option in contrast to the bright and harmful blue light coming from electronic devices.

 

6- Helps the growth of cancerous tumors

 

Prolonged exposure and long-term use of mobile phones are associated with the growth of carcinomas, especially in skin tissue. Radiation does not directly promote or cause malignancy, but it can speed up the growth of cancer cells. The risk of developing a brain tumor on the side of the head where you hold your cell phone is almost twice as high.

 

7- Brain damage

 

Several studies suggest that electromagnetic radiation from prolonged cell phone use, especially at bedtime, can cause blood vessels to thin and can make this barrier between the blood and the brain permeable. Thus, this can enable harmful substances in the blood to leak into the brain, and damage brain tissue and surrounding nerves.

 

Our bodies really need to be charged, as is the case with our electronic devices, but charging for us is enough sleep in the night hours so that we can focus and work actively the next day. So, let's get our phones away from us all night, to clear our heads before bed. You must stop using it at least an hour or half an hour before bed, and it is better to keep the phone away from your bed at night because you will not need it during sleep, so the sleep hormone is produced naturally, and thus sleep in good health.

 

And beware! Do not forget the phone while you are sleeping on a soft surface such as a bed during the charging period, as this increases the possibility of an electrical fire.