Ditch phone for better Zzzzz

Muscat, August 1

If you are using a mobile phone before going to bed as a routine habit, there are chances of sleep deprivation resulting in hypertension, heart attacks and strokes, obesity, diabetes, depression and anxiety, decreased brain function, memory loss, weakened immune system, lower fertility rates and psychiatric disorders. Sleep deprivation means that you are not getting enough sleep

Scientific research makes clear that sleep is essential at any age. Sleep powers the mind, restores the body, and fortifies virtually every system in the body. But how much sleep do we really need in order to get these benefits? Healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. Babies, young children, and teens need even more sleep to enable their growth and development. People over 65 should also get 7 to 8 hours per night.

The use of the mobile phone immediately before bed stimulates the brain, which hinders the body’s ability to relax and sleep. It makes the person take a longer time to sleep. In addition to causing damage to the eyes, looking at the bright screen of the phone, especially in darkness, leads to fatigue of the eyes, and may cause long-term damage to vision.

We spend all day feeding our brain information, so when it comes time to turn it off, we should do the same thing to our phones too. Numerous studies have found that using your phone before bed is harmful to your overall health. The blue light emitted by your cell phone screen restrains the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle (aka circadian rhythm). This makes it even more difficult to fall asleep and wake up the next day. The circadian rhythm seems to be especially sensitive to blue light since it has a short wavelength. Studies also show that exposure to blue light can cause damage to your retinas.

Say you just received a strongly worded email or saw a Facebook post you didn’t agree with. It’s going to be more difficult for you to relax and go to sleep now that you’re all fired up. Even if it’s not upsetting content, keeping your mind engaged by scrolling through your phone can trick your brain into thinking it needs to stay awake.

Since you spent that extra time staying awake reading emails instead of sleeping, now you’re going to be more tired and less alert for the next day. And who wants to be less aware and more sluggish throughout the day? Aside from the fact that late-night scrolling can make you less efficient, it can also lead to a significant and chronic deficiency in sleep.

You should stop using electronic devices, like your cellphone, at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Instead, grab the book that’s been tucked away in your nightstand and start reading before bed. Or listen to music. You’ll be impressed with how much more quickly you fall asleep and how much better you’ll feel the next day.

If you’re worried that you may miss a call in case of an emergency, set it so that it only rings when certain people are calling, but still place it out of bed and out of reach — just in case you get tempted.

But when can we say we got enough sleep? Can it be calculated in hours? Dr Hans Gunter Weiss, head of the German Institute of Sleep Medicine (DGSM) and author of ‘Sleep Works Miracles,’ says that this cannot be determined by hours, but rather the determining factor is genes, which means that each of us has to monitor his body to derive the number of hours he needs to sleep.