Bill Beli spends hours on electronic devices…especially in the evening.
“Then I'll go and start looking on my iPad, whether I'm surfing the internet or reading a book.”
New research shows using light-emitting electronic devices in the hours before bedtime could be keeping you awake longer. Brigham and Women's Researchers had 12 patients read books on an iPad for four hours before bed for five nights. Then the group read paper books.
“Exposure to blue enriched light from these devices shifts our circadian rhythms to a later hour, suppresses the release of the sleep promoting hormone melatonin and makes it more difficult for us to fall asleep,” says Dr. Charles Czeisler of Brigham and Women's Hospital.
While the study looked at iPads, researchers also measured other e-readers, laptops, and cell phones, which all emitted blue light.
Researchers also found people exposed to screens were more sleepy the next morning and were less alert after getting 8 hours of sleep.
“One of our major concerns is that sleep deficiency is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease like obesity and diabetes.”
Bill says the study makes him wonder about his use of devices
“I'm really not a good sleeper so it's hard for me to tell if it's just the iPad.”
He says he would consider going back to reading paper books if it meant getting a better's nights rest.
Researchers say recent studies show suppressing the hormone melatonin is linked with increased risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer and prostate cancer.
