Is it a bad idea to fall asleep in front of screens?

We’re surrounded by screens all day, right up until we go to bed. Our lives are intertwined with technology, from the smartphone alarms that wake us to the late-night emails we check. An Ifop study from April 2021 revealed a startling figure: 69% of those scrolling in bed battle with sleep disorders. And while we might think that a quick video or message thread could usher us into dreamland, the reality is, these habits impact both how quickly we fall asleep and the quality of our rest.

You might have heard about the notorious blue light emitted by screens. It’s like an unwanted alarm for our bodies, tricking our brains into thinking it’s still daytime and halting the production of melatonin, our natural sleep-inducing hormone. But it’s not just about the light; a UK study by the University of Oxford from 2016 found that smartphone addiction is linked to poor sleep, regardless of how long we’re glued to the screens.

In what ways do screens interfere with our sleep? Are there other consequences of dozing off to digital content? What’s the secret to a good night’s sleep in the screen-saturated world?

In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

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A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

First Broadcast: 25/6/2024

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