In the ongoing battle to find a better way to sleep, there is some good news. Popping on your shades when you hop into bed might do the trick. For years, we’ve heard the stories of how most of us use our mobile devices in bed before sleeping and how bad it is for our ability to fall asleep. Still, for most people, the mobile device is too tempting to put down. There may be a solution that’s easy and allows you to have your mobile device in bed and still sleep too.
A recent sleep study put a fine point on how much sleep we lose as a result of the use of phone and the blue-light that’s been proven to provide a stimulus that inhibits our ability to fall asleep. The Amsterdam University study found that on average it took 30 additional minutes to fall asleep due to the blue-light stimulus. But that was just the first half of the study. The second half was the benefit for those who weren’t exposed to the blue-light screen phenomenon. The result was falling asleep a half hour sooner, waking up 20 minutes earlier and better quality of sleep. But by now, we know that most people, probably you and I, haven’t been motivated enough to put down the devices.
So, what’s the possible solution to use your device and sleep too? Sunglasses. According to the researchers, the key is eliminating the “blue-screen” effect. Sunglasses do that. Bring your shades to bed. Use your device with them on. When you’re ready to sleep put down your device, take off your shades and goodnight! It’s worth trying. Over the past couple of years, I’ve slept with an eye cover and that’s helped a lot. Eliminating the blue-screen effect might be the final key to a consistent good night’s sleep.
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