“Be mindful of being present.
Be present. Be persistent.”
– Unknown
One of the biggest causes of sleeplessness in 2020 is the use of mobile devices late at night. From children to retirees, everyone has caught the social media/unlimited info bug.
The problem with the use of screens has to do with our internal clock. A biological system that we are programmed to follow based on the temperature of light that hits our eyes. Smartphones, tablets, TVs, and computers all give off blue light that tricks your brain into thinking that it is still daytime. Therefore there is no reason to get sleepy.
How do we avoid this?
The obvious way to avoid all that blue light is to not use any of these devices late at night! Set a limit for yourself with an app like ScreenTime, set a time when you have to put them away, or pick up a book instead. We suggest turning off any kind of screen at least an hour before bed.
An easy way to keep your phone out of your hands is to place your charger on the other end of the room or in another room entirely. There’s nothing on Facebook that can’t wait until tomorrow. This will also force you to get out of bed to stop your alarm in the morning. Win-win.
But I need to use my phone!
If you can’t bring yourself to discontinue using these devices at night, most of them have built-in or downloadable apps that reduce the amount of blue light that the screen emits. In your app store, type in “Blue Light Filter”.
The particular app is irrelevant as long as it changes the color temperature of your screen from bright white/blue to more of a red/sepia tone. The intensity is adjustable in most of these programs but generally, the redder, the better. Though this can help, we still would recommend option 1 for better sleep.
The real lesson here is to be more present, limit online time and use the time you save on family or self-improvement. Get some sleep.
