Experiencing good sleep is one of the most important aspects of a person’s health and wellbeing. While today’s technology devices are supposed to make our lives easier, when it comes to sleep, cell phones, tablets and even televisions cause problems.
“Sleep is a very important part of good health, and sleep problems are very common,” said Steven Rasmussen, MD, family medicine practitioner at ThedaCare Physicians-Ripon. “One of the most important things is for people to develop what we call good sleep hygiene. We would rather not relay on medications to help with sleep, instead, focusing on developing good sleep habits.”
He suggested that going to bed and getting up at approximately the same time every day helps our minds and bodies adjust to a pattern that can help foster good sleep. He also recommended avoiding caffeine later in the day.
“Some people can drink caffeine after noon and sleep well,” he said. “Others cannot do that. Pay attention to how caffeine affects you.”
And, remember that caffeine is present not only in coffee. It is also in tea, chocolate, sodas and other foods.
“If you are having sleep issues, experiment with your caffeine intake and see how that affects your sleep,” he said.
Next, Dr. Rasmussen addressed technology.
“While technology – cell phones, tablets, computers, etc. – offer benefits to our lives, when it comes to sleep, they can be disruptive,” he explained. “The blue light emitted by cell phones, tablets and even our televisions stimulates the hypothalamus gland and tells your body and brain that it’s not nighttime. It disrupts your Circadian rhythm, which is your normal sleep cycle, and melatonin production, which helps your body and brain prepare for sleep.’
For that reason, he recommends that anyone who is experiencing sleep disruptions – having difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up a night – avoid being on any technology device for an hour before bedtime.
In addition, he noted that social media sites are not always relaxing for many people.
“Frequently, spending time on social media can lead to increased angst, anxiety and general discomfort,” he said. “So that’s one of the last things people should be doing before going to bed.”
He observed that at times, it goes further with some people experiencing an addiction to their phones.
“The last thing they do before going to bed is scroll through email or social media sites, and it’s the first thing they do in the morning,” he noted. “That’s a very unhealthy thing to do for good sleep hygiene and overall health because of the stress it causes.”
To help avoid the habit of scrolling a newsfeed as the last thing you do before sleep or first thing in the morning, he suggested not sleeping with your phone or tablet in your bedroom.
“Charge it overnight in the kitchen, living room or your office where you won’t hear the beep of an incoming email or text,” he said. “Don’t use your phone as your alarm. Instead invest in one of those novel things called an alarm clock. Then your phone doesn’t need to be near your bed.”
He noted that televisions offer a similar problem as they also emit blue light. He especially recommends that children not have TVs in their bedrooms.
“We need to let our body power down to a relaxed state, and that doesn’t happen when we are on our devices, looking at social media sites or watching TV before sleep,” he said. “Anything that gets you emotionally charged shouldn’t be done for at least an hour before bedtime. Stay off your screens and do something more calming.”
He also offered that one’s bed should be considered a sanctuary – a place for sleeping and enjoying intimacy with a partner.
“People should not be watching TV in bed, checking their phone or even reading in bed,” he said. “All those things can be disruptive to sleep. Again, your bed should serve only two purposes – sleep and intimacy.”
