Beating the Blue Light

Blue Light & Phones, How To Win?

Smart phones are incredibly useful and have become our 24/7 companions.

Phones and devices are used for a variety of reasons, communication with loved ones, quick research, and even creating/running businesses. 

Could you live your life without your phone? 

Today it is hard to imaging our lives without them.

So, when we hear that they disrupt sleep, many of us chose to disbelieve this, yet is it any coincidence that so many of us are struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep.

When we were children our parents would say, ‘counting sheep helps us fall asleep'.

Now as adults when we are struggling to sleep, many of us will pick up our phones or tablets and scroll through the internet. 

The LEDs are in screens of all kinds – phones, tablets, laptops and TVs, these all emit a super stimulating blue light. 

How bad is blue light for our brains when we are trying to sleep? 

You may not be able to notice it, however, your brain is buzzed by this light.

Your brain interprets this light as sunlight, which affects and disrupts your circadian rhythm. 

It suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone that signals it’s time to sleep. No wonder sleep won’t come easy when we are constantly bombarding our brains with stimulating signals. 

Rather than mindlessly using your phone in all the wrong ways to perpetuate a vicious circle of tossing and turning maybe you can try some simple interventions.

With the appropriate settings, your phone can help rather than hinder

How can you make your phone sleep-friendly

1) Switch to night mode, such a setting reduces the brightness of your phone screen and filters out the blue light.

2) Set up an automatic (do not disturb) or use Airplane Mode. It turns off all notifications and mutes all calls and messages. 

3) Turn off all customised notifications, when you sign up to apps some will automatically allow notifications. Snapchat and Instagram have default settings that trigger notifications.

4) Track and limit your usage – apps like a moment or break free can monitor your usage or even inbuilt features on your iPhone like ‘Screen Time’.

5) Listen to a sleep story, these stories are read in a calming voice, with calming music and sound which will help you drift off. Apps like Calm and Headspace all offer sleep stories or sleep radio. You could even complete a bedtime meditation. 

Would you like to find out more about the Lantern Clinic? You can book a FREE discovery call with Dr Margarita below.