How Technology Affects Sleep

An infographic look at how TÉCHNOLOGYSLEEP affece Gone are the days when all a bedroom contained was a bed, clothes and a few personal items. Modern bedrooms are now filled with a range of technology and gadgets, which means we have got constant access to our phones, tablets, games and more. But how does all this modern technology affect our sleeping patterns? Find out with our infographic According to a National Sleep Foundation study. Zz 60% of 13-64 year olds experience problems sleeping 63% of those surveyed did not feel they 15% of 19-64 year olds get less than 6 hours on weeknights 95% use electronics in the hour before get enough sleep they went to sleep A lack of sleep has been linked with.. Ongoing depression Obesity Diabetes Cardiovascular disease The effect of self-luminous displays on sleep.. What is melatonin? Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland at night and under the conditions of darkness. It is known as a "timing messenger', signaling nighttime information throughout the body Pineal gland A study from the Lighting Research Centre suggests that the light emitted from displays of tablets and similar devices can cause melatonin suppression, which affects our natural body clock. Exposure to light at night, especially short- wavelength light, can slow or even decrease melatonin production, interrupting sleep. Suppression of melatonin resulting in circadian disruption has been implicated in sleep disturbances. By using a self-luminous display for two hours before bed, you can suppress melatonin by 22%, making it harder to get to sleep It seems we're addicted to our phones... 10% of people are woken up regularly by calls, text or emails 50% will check their 95% of 18-29yr olds sleep with their phone right next to their bed 25% of people don't silence their phone before going to bed phone immediately if they wake in the night TV's and video games don't help us nod off much either... Television sets can make achieving sleep more difficult too. Not only can the light emitted affect melatonin levels, but TV can raise your heart rate, making it harder to get to sleep GAME QUER The longer video games are played before bed, the lower both the quality & quantity of sleep. In terms of quality, REM sleep is decreased, which is important for encoding new information The physical act of playing a video game makes your body tense, producing a fight or flight response which can cause the production of cortisol - a stress hormone produced by the adrenal gland It's not all bad news... There are some technologies (both old and new) that you can use to help get that elusive good night's sleep Reading a book under an indirect lamp will help you relax and get a good night's sleep Having a journal by your bed will allow you to get thoughts out of your head Listening to gentle or relaxing music will help you drift off and get a sound sleep Ebook readers such as Amazon's Kindle do not have a luminous display and will help If you want to get a better night's sleep, cut out the technology use and opt for a non-luminous e-reader, music or a good old fashioned book. It's also a good idea to get a comfortable, high-quality bed. To do so visit us at: SO bigbrandbeds .co.uk Sources: CNN Edition | UIB | Pew Research | Sleep Foundation | Wikipedia | State of the Media | Primaloft | Daily Mail | Michael Gradisar | Elsevier Journals Infographic produced by Big Brand Beds. When reposting please link to www.bigbrandbeds.co.uk